She Comes And Goes As She Pleases (Part 5)
by BrDPirateMan

The steam was still billowing from the top of my head as we left the ice cream parlor. Eri had spoon-fed me a cringe-worthy total of four times, and the whole experience had left me in a daze. It was all I could do to walk straight.

She didn't seem bothered in the very least though.

"That was refreshing!" she sighed contentedly. "Nothing beats a good bowl of ice cream. The light yet rich taste rolling around on your tongue, and the freezing feeling down the throat… It's something I wouldn't tire of anytime soon!"

"C-Can I go home now?"

She frowned at my attitude. "Not until this date is over. Geez, Neku, here I am trying to help you feel better and this is how you thank me?"

"I appreciate the effort, but the delivery needs work."

Her retort stopped dead in her throat when she spied something out of the corner of her eye. When she turned to look, her face lit up like she just had a fantastic idea, or at least what she thought was a fantastic idea, but for me it felt like another one of those moments where I go "Now what? !"

"Ooh, look, Neku!" she squealed. "That shop over there!"

Completely disinterested, I let out a low groan. "What about it?"

"It's a ladies' boutique that opened up not too long ago. I'm itching to see what clothes they've got on sale. Oh my goodness! 40% off everything? ! That's what I want! Neku, we simply have to get in there."

Hearing this set alarm bells ringing in my head. After all, a combination of Eri and a hip clothing store was a recipe for an afternoon of non-stop no-holds-barred shopping, and I was tired of being a valet to carry her bags!

"Hey, wait just a darn second!" I snapped. "I thought you'd promised not to go shopping during this date!"

"B-B-But my excitement level is rising! And if I don't check it out now, I could just explode!" Judging by the way she was shaking, she might very well do just that. She was going to become the end of the world, but not if I could help it.

"Come on, Eri." I grabbed her by the arm and started dragging her in the opposite direction. "Not today."

"Wait!" she protested. "You can't do this to me! You're cutting off my very lifeblood!"

"Look, I just don't want to be buried in shopping bags all over again. We're not doing this!"

"Huh, so that's it?"

I frowned at her half in confusion and half in annoyance. "What do you mean?"

She freed herself from my hand and paused for a moment to think. Was she pondering over how to blackmail me into doing her bidding? Whatever it was, it wouldn't work this time! But when she next spoke she had a surprisingly agreeable proposal for me.

"Well, how about this?" she offered. "If I promise not to buy anything today, will you let me visit that shop? At the very least, I want to have a look-see. I'm sure that's fine with you, right?"

That caused me to stop and think too. It sounded like a good deal, but only when Eri didn't have her dirty tricks up her sleeve, and she had them by the basketful. With her there was no such thing as being overly cautious. In fact it was probably a requirement. Still, if I didn't need to lug around a whole bunch of bags…

"If you really mean your word, Eri, then fine. I'll let you go and take a look. I'll even accompany you."

"Super!" Her wide grin was one of joy and relief. "I knew you were nice!"

"Let's just get the whole thing over with already."

"You really are a party pooper, Neku," she sighed. But it didn't dampen her spirits in the very least. She was still in a dangerously sunny mood, and I didn't have any sunglasses with me.

XOXOXOXOXO

"Is this the place?" I asked her.

"Yup," she replied. "Sure is." Her eyes were darting everywhere in a maniacal manner.

The boutique was like any other that I had seen so far. Same range of clothing, same window displays, same mannequins and the same courteous salespersons. There was nothing that set it apart from the rest, and if I wasn't told by Eri that it had just recently opened up, I would have thought it had been here for years. I guess that's the most important difference between someone who cares about fashion and someone who doesn't.

The second most important difference is that a fashion-minded person would most likely respond to the presence of a boutique in a rabid, barely-controlled manner that a fashion-indifferent person wouldn't.

Eri certainly was acting rabid now.

"Stop it, will you?" I chided her quietly. "You're panting like a dog!"

"I… I can't help it… So many… to choose from… So many…"

"Gimme a break…"

With a shaking hand and glassy eyes she called the nearest salesgirl over. Then she almost gave me a heart attack by saying, "E-Excuse me, miss… I… I'd like all of these, please!"

I had to flick Eri in the forehead to wake her up. "Snap out of it!"

Now that she was forced back to normal, I politely shooed the confused salesgirl away and we went back to our original plan of window shopping. Eri looked disappointed but she had a promise to keep, and I was going to make sure she did.

The wide range of clothing on sale made Eri as jumpy and excited as a flea on crack. I watched her dart from shelf to shelf examining everything. Nothing escaped her sharp eyes – jeans, skirts, blouses… Something about clothes gave her a natural high, and all the while there was a constant smile on her face. It almost looked cute how she was squealing. I reasoned that if I couldn't make Shiki happy like this, then, well, I could bridge that empty hole in my heart by letting Eri be happy.

She swiped three pieces seemingly at random and said, "Neku, could you wait a bit? I'm going to try some of them out."

My stomach sank to the bottom of my shoes. "What? But why? I thought we're here to just look around. And I know you're just going to take forever."

"You made me promise not to buy anything, but that doesn't mean I can't test out these clothes."

"Are you some kind of addict or something? !"

"A deal may be a deal," she chuckled, "but when there are loopholes to exploit, then I'll be sure to use them well."

I groaned but let her do as she pleased. She had won this argument fair and square. As she popped into the nearest fitting room I could foresee a long time spent waiting for her to be finally satisfied. Was there no way to escape from her clutches?

A minute or two passed, and I was still bored. There was nothing interesting in the men's section, but then what would a fashion-illiterate guy like me know anyway. Then as if out of mercy, the fitting room door popped open and out stepped Eri. In a pair of hot pants and a tube top. An ensemble more shocking and revealing than even her usual outfit.

I didn't know where to look. What she was wearing left so little to the imagination, and she was in public!

"Neku," she said, striking an overly ostentatious pose, "what do you think?"

"Uh… It looks fine on you." Why did she have to wear that? ! People were staring, and while I was getting embarrassed for her, I was mostly embarrassed for myself. And why didn't she mind? ! Because… oh, wait. Because she's crazy, that's why.

She didn't take my canned response very well. "You're not even looking!"

"If you cover yourself up a little more, I might actually take a gander. But half a shirt and 10% of a pair of trousers doesn't count as decent."

"It's summer wear!" she protested. "Summer! How can I afford to wear T-shirts and baggy pants like you do? ! The heat will get to me real quick in stuff like that and I'll get all sweaty and icky. There's nothing worse than damp clothes sticking to the skin! It's gross!"

"Calm yourself," I deadpanned, "and coolness will follow."

"You calm yourself, blockhead!"

She zipped back into the fitting room, seemingly annoyed. In five seconds flat she was back out in slightly more agreeable attire. So slightly, it was almost indiscernible. The look on her face suggested that I should give her a better opinion this time, but whether that could happen or not I would have to see. Knowing her, it probably wouldn't happen.

I gave her the head-to-toe, but was dismayed that she was just as liberal with the skin-baring as before. But at the same time, a small part of me was enjoying the sight. Even before this when I was still dreaming about Shiki, it was something of a guilty pleasure of mine to be able to see Eri wearing so little so often, be it at home or otherwise. And you couldn't really blame me; I was a healthy young guy. If a girl was standing around in tight leather jeans and a bustier top that left her back naked save for flimsy criss-cross support strings… then of course I'd be tempted to look. Like now. Because that was what she was wearing.

"Try calming yourself after this," she snickered. She turned around to show off the detail of the strings at the back. My stomach flipped and my brain flipped and everything inside me flipped.

"I'm calm. Really, I am."

"You've got a nosebleed." Her laughter had an edge of victory.

One of the salesgirls, taking pity on me, offered some tissues which I gratefully took and jammed up my nostrils. I sounded like an elephant. "I said I'm A-OK!"

"Denying the truth when it's so obvious? That's cute, Neku."

"Ngh… quit it, man…"

"Well, bloody noses aside," she coughed, now a little calmer, "there are about five more pieces here that I want you to see me in. I just need your opinion, you know? Helps me to brainstorm more ideas for my fashion design thing."

"I don't think I've got a choice," I groaned.

"And if you need to let loose with your nosebleeds, by all means, please do! That's a good indication I've found a winner!"

"A-Are you making fun of me? !" But once again she just laughed my irritation off.

"You'll like this next one. It's a real killer and it's the latest from – " Her sentence came to an abrupt end. Her eyes were staring beyond me and she looked like she had spotted something either very good or very bad. In this case, it was very, very ugly.

"Eri?"

"Shoot!" she gasped. "It's him!"

Whenever a girl in Shibuya goes "It's him!" she is usually referring to The Prince. But the flamboyant J-Pop singer with an attitude and a liking for cowboy boots was nowhere to be seen. All there was to see was a mass of shoppers who looked alike.

"Who?" I shrugged. "Who is it?"

"I've got to hide," she gulped, diving back into the fitting room for god-knows-what-reason. …Hang on. Why did she grab my wrist? I barely had time to think before she yanked me into the room with her. It knocked the breath out of me as my entire body sailed inside.

"Eri! What're you – mmph? !"

"Quiet!" she hissed, clapping my mouth shut in one hand. With her free hand she reached around me, closed the door and locked it, trapping the two of us in like a casket lid.

The horror! A guy and a girl stuck together in a confined place such as this… This wasn't supposed to be like some outlandish setting in a badly directed R-rated film! What was wrong with Eri? ! Did she suddenly have this mad desire to do "things" in public? ! She was never one for modesty, but this was ridiculous! I still had a long life ahead of me and I'd be darned if I would be caught by the police and thrown in jail!

My efforts to struggle away and escape to freedom were great but useless. I couldn't budge. I couldn't even talk with her hand clamped over my mouth. And when I mumbled to get her to take that offending hand away, she only grew irritated and pressed me against the door.

"Quiet," she repeated. There was a sense of urgency in her voice that, despite the craziness of this situation, I simply couldn't ignore. And so I eventually stopped squirming and went silent.

A few tense moments went by. Her eyes were looking to the side, as though listening out for anything strange. Then she finally spoke and removed her hand.

"Sorry about this, Neku," she whispered, looking genuinely apologetic for a change. "But I didn't have a choice. I saw him…"

"Who's 'him'?" I asked.

Her face twitched a bit in guilt. "My… My boyfriend."

I groaned. "I knew it was a bad idea going out on a pretend date. Why did you want to do this when you've already got a boyfriend?"

"What's so weird about a pretend date between friends?"

"That's just it. It's weird no matter how you slice it. It just isn't the kind of thing that would even cross your mind when you're hooked up with someone. For example, if I've got a girlfriend, I wouldn't hang out with another girl, like just the two of us. It'll just create lots of misunderstandings and senseless arguments and our relationship would go down the drain."

"But I can't just sit idly by watching you brood and get all depressed over Shiki. You're my treasured friend… I just want to help you get over it and feel better, that's all."

My heart skipped a beat upon hearing that. We were close pals by now, but I never knew she cared about me like this. Her next words, however, deadened the impact of what I otherwise felt was a more thoughtful and agreeable side of her.

"Besides, Neku, I was scared you might kill yourself pining over Shiki. Maybe stuff your head in the oven or something."

"H-Hey, I'm not so weak, you know."

"Can't hurt to be careful," she giggled softly.

"Another thing. Eri, how long do we have to stay like this?"

"Until I'm sure it's safe. My boyfriend is still lurking out there, you know. I can sense that formidable aura of his… Or maybe it's his cologne I'm picking up. Either way he's there."

"So we'll be here for a little while… but in the meantime, could you at least give me some, um, breathing space? It's tight in here!"

"Even if you say that," countered Eri, "I don't exactly have a lot of elbow room myself. Just grin and bear it."

So easy for her to say! The fitting room was small and meant for only one person, so with the two of us it felt like the inside of a can of anchovies. Eri was clinging onto me and her body was snugly pressed against my frame. Her ivory fingertips were resting on my arms and the just the mere touch was giving me goosebumps. Yet this couldn't hold a candle to the feeling of her breasts on my chest. She wasn't hugely disproportionate, but she wasn't… well, small either. And they were nice and firm; let's just leave it at that. The sensation was enough to launch me into outer space.

And because the mirror was behind her, I could see her back in all its fantastic almost-naked glory. Who'd have thought strings could be so kinky?

I could just explode. One more spark on my fuse and I'd be a living fireworks display.

But the worst (best?) was yet to come.

"Oh no!" she gasped. "I just remembered! I have to set my phone to silent mode in case he calls me! If he hears my ringtone from inside this fitting room and comes over to investigate, we're done for."

"Y-You're right. Even I can pick out your Cheese My Boring Plover from amidst a crowd."

"It's She's My Four-Leaf Clover, you dolt!" she snarled. "And it's The Prince's number one hit song right now, so don't you forget it! You dare to desecrate it one more time and you'll pay dearly."

"…You fangirls are crazy."

Eri would have pinched the heck out of me any other day, but I would cry out in pain and give us away, so she didn't this time.

Onto more important matters, though: she still had to fix that phone. She was trying to reach for the pocket of her leather jeans, but the confines of the fitting room made it hard to maneuver about. And so she had to wiggle this way and that to try and get a hold of her phone before potential disaster struck. But…

"Eri!" I squeaked. "Wh-What're you doing? !" Her breasts dug deeper into my chest and you could imagine the effect it had on me.

"I-I'm sorry," she panted. "I placed my phone into these jeans to see if the pockets were deep enough, but now I can't seem to get at it…!" She doubled her efforts, but her squirming made her look like one of those exotic dancers slinking around a pole. And I was that pole. Every little touch felt like electricity through my nerves.

At last she gave up, and all was still. My systems were fried so much I swore I could hear the sound of my own hormones blazing throughout my body.

"It's no use," she said with a huff. Then the stupidest idea popped by her brain for a visit. "Wait, Neku… You've got a free hand! Dig inside my pocket and get my phone for me, will you?"

"What? !" I gulped. "You want me to WHAT? ! No way! Absolutely not!"

"Look, desperate times call for desperate measures. My boyfriend calls me on a regular basis, like five-times-a-day regular, so it could start ringing any moment! Get it for me, quick!"

"Five times a day isn't regular… that's just plain obsessive."

"Will you hurry up already? ! If something happens and my relationship is doomed because of you, I'm making you wear a maid's outfit in public!"

I gulped harder. "You're not making me –"

In a more sinister tone, she added, "And believe me, I will. You can bet on that. I've got… ways to make people cave in." Her narrowed eyes only served to reiterate how frightening she really was.

Even if Eri's sanity was at an all-time low, this was all too much to bear, especially the thought of feeling her thigh through the thin fabric of the jeans! However… being made to parade around Shibuya in a maid costume was the worse option hands down. Right now I had the power to stop that from happening, but to do that I'd have to practically feel her up!

On the bright side, I could take advantage of this, and –

But I'm a gentleman, not a pervert! What the heck was I even thinking? !

"Fine," I said nervously. "I'll do it."

A quick prayer to whoever could protect my soul and I was somewhat ready to take the plunge. Literally.

My free hand was trembling as I reached for her pocket. The jeans she was wearing had the pockets down the front, not at the sides. It would be easy to slip my hand in, but the real challenge was prying the phone out. And that pocket looked awfully tight.

When my fingertips came into contact with the texture of the leather, I shuddered. I'm not a pervert, I kept telling myself. I'm just doing this to help a friend in need. The blood was dripping from my nose as my fingers crept in deeper, and Eri wasn't making things any better for me. The way she was, um, moaning… and… writhing… was, uh…

"E-Eri," I almost pleaded, "please stop moving. I can't do anything like this."

"But I can't help it," she whined, growing as red as me. "It's… ticklish." She was clutching onto my shirt for dear life and I feared it would tear.

"If you could just keep still for a sec – "

"Unnh…!"

"Wh-What's with that moan? !" I spluttered, panicking. "Don't do that!"

"I can't help it! It's completely involuntary! Do you expect a normal person to hold it in when you're groping their thigh? !"

"I'm not groping!"

"Neku… your nose is bleeding harder."

"Don't change the topic so weirdly!"

This was madness. I diverted my face away and squeezed my eyes shut. And, hopefully, when I opened them again, I'd be back in bed at home where I could breathe a sigh of relief and say that it was all just a dream.

Eri jumped and gave an "eep". "N-Neku, your hand is slipping in the wrong place! That's my underwear!"

All at once a cold sweat broke out all over my body. I froze, too paralysed to pull out my hand; too bad my nose wouldn't paralyse together with the rest of my body, because it bled even more now. From a waterfall to a tsunami! Oh god!

"Ack! I'm sorry, Eri! I'll just –"

"Huh? …Oh, wait. False alarm. I thought it was my underwear but it's not. Carry on."

Nothing could describe how relieved I felt. "D-Don't scare me like that…"

Just how deep in her pocket was that stupid phone anyway? ! I had half of my hand wedged inside now, and all the while the luscious flesh of her thigh was teasing me through the fabric. How it tempted me so!

Then, after what felt like ages, my fingers collided with something solid. It must be her cell phone; I had struck gold at last, and about time too! I was so worried I would faint from the whole ordeal, but now there was a little more hope.

It was easier said than done to grab a hold of it. I had to use the tips of my fingers like a pair of forceps to grip the phone, and pulling it out was difficult, though I could manage somewhat. It was almost out. Just a little more… But just when my battle was about to come to an end…

…the phone rang!

Both of us jumped in unison when The Prince's voice suddenly blared out, belting out lyrics like there was no tomorrow. In a way, for us, there was no tomorrow.

"Oh, crud!" gulped Eri. "That's my boyfriend! This is the third time he's called me up today! …Or is it the fourth?"

I hissed at her, "Now's not the time to wonder about that!"

"This is bad! He'll hear us! And if he does…"

The phone was still in my hand, half-embedded in her pocket, vibrating and singing that cheesy nonsense. The air was tense.

"Must you answer that, Eri? You can ignore him, right? ! I mean, one missed call isn't gonna kill you."

"But he'll get mad if I ignore him," she whimpered with an uneasy frown. "And he doesn't breach many excuses."

I didn't know why at the time, but hearing that ticked me off a little. I had heard of relationships where one partner was overly domineering and possessive. Was her boyfriend such a person? It sure would seem that way with him, but it was too early to jump to conclusions. Unfortunately, that was what I did, and I regretted it quickly.

I snapped, "What is he, some kind of control freak? He sounds like a total kook to me."

Eri was taken aback by my words. Her eyes widened just the tiniest bit, and a lesser person wouldn't have been able to see the hurt on her face, but I was observant enough to notice. It simply wasn't done badmouthing someone's lover. As terrible as he may have sounded, she still loved him. What was more, I didn't know the guy, so what right had I to make assumptions about him? Suddenly I felt very, very bad.

"S-Sorry, Eri," I murmured. "I didn't… I didn't mean to…"

What I imagined must be her hurt feelings still lingered. "Neku, please give me my phone," she said flatly. "I need to answer it."

I pried it loose from her pocket and slipped it in her hand. What had I done? I was sure she'd dislike me now, and just when I was starting to think she was cute and – No. No, I didn't think of her that way. I really didn't… right?

As I was busy thinking about how best to apologise to her, she started to smirk. Not at me, though. She was staring at her cell phone display with a look of incredulity and amusement. Then, to my surprise, she actually started to giggle. What was so funny?

"Neku," she chuckled, "it looks like we were both mistaken. Look."

She held up her phone for me to see. On the display, the phone's caller ID had identified the caller, and it was Shiki.

It wasn't Eri's boyfriend after all! The relief washed over me like a big wave. She answered the call and began talking to Shiki about who-knows-what-but-who-cares. I was too preoccupied with the feeling of being alive. After all, I avoided certain death from being beaten up.

The conversation ended quickly and Eri's chipper self returned. "That was a close one, Neku! We could have had our butts handed to us!"

"Yeah." My throat felt so parched from the tension of earlier, but it didn't stop me from chuckling myself. "Now, if you're sure we're safe, we ought to get out of here. I'm not sticking here another minute."

She agreed with me for once. "My boyfriend has what he calls the five-minute policy. He doesn't like shopping, so the longest he sticks around in a department store is five minutes; even lesser if it's close to 6 pm like now. He always get hungry around this time, and when he does, he usually hits up a ramen shack or simply heads back home. Long story short, I think the coast is clear."

"…You know an awful lot about him. Are you sure you're not some rabid stalker?"

"Well, excuse me!" She sounded slightly miffed. "I am his girlfriend, you know!"

"Uh-huh. Let's just get the heck outta here."

"Oh wait. I'm going to have to change first." She was still decked out in that bustier top and jeans.

"I'll get out so you can change."

"Um, wait…" She gave a nervous giggle. "I… I think I need help taking off the bustier. It's, like, stuck or something."

My eyes grew wide. "Huh?"

"Neku, I hate to ask favours of you but could you help me again? You just need to undo the strings and – "

"U-Undo the strings? !" Was she talking about the strings hugging her back that were now holding the top together? ! "What's wrong with your evil little head? !"

"Kidding, kidding!" she laughed. "Do you need a blood transfusion?"

"Of course not!" I huffed, clutching my bleeding nose. "You, on the other hand, need a brain transplant!"

She just giggled herself to bits as I disentangled myself from her and stepped out of the fitting room. I was met with stares from customers and salesgirls alike. They had seen me being dragged inside together with Eri, and I was sure they were thinking about what sort of hanky-panky we might be up to. Too bad there was no hole in the floor I could bury myself in.

XOXOXOXOXO

"That wasn't all too bad!" said a smiling and satisfied Eri. "We evaded my boyfriend safely. How about that!"

"Eri… That's not something to be proud of."

"Oh, come now. You've got to look at the lighter side of life! And hey, I just got myself a sexy new top and jeans, so that sweetens the deal a whole lot! So now I'll just buy these hot numbers, and – "

I stopped her as she was just about to trot over to the cashier. "Hold it, hold it! You're not making me carry your shopping bags!"

"Is this about that promise? But… but it's just two itty-bitty pieces of clothing. I'm actually limiting myself today. Surely you're okay with just two? They're really light. It wouldn't break your back."

"That's not it!" I seethed. "This is a matter of principle! We had a deal! A promise! You swore you wouldn't make any purchases… or have you forgotten? !"

She tried again to get through to me using various reasons, and she was getting desperate. Her words came out in a flurry of nonsense that I couldn't care less about. "But it's on sale! Huge discounts! It's a steal! Who can resist that? I can't! Plus… it's so cute and I've already made plans to wear it on my next girls' night out. When you enjoy the nightlife, you have to do it in style, and this is style!"

"Come on, Eri. At least keep to your word…"

Listening was a quality that Eri was famously lacking. "And besides, you like this bustier top so much. If you let me buy this, I'll wear it for you next time I pop by your house –"

My face lit up red. "Th-That's not going to convince me!"

When I stepped back to think about it, I sounded mean for not letting her have her way. And if it was really only two pieces…

"Fine," I shrugged, defeated. "Only these, okay? Nothing more!"

Her victory grin was as bright as ever. "Hee hee. I knew you'd fold."

Eri and I had dozens if not hundreds of harmless but senseless arguments like this one by now, and in every one we had, she always won. What irked me every time was how she could twist my arm into losing. I was sure she had a whole book of dirty tricks at hand and she was using them to the fullest!

And so we left the store. She was humming happily while I was left with a single shopping bag dangling by my hand. I didn't want to carry anything, but at least it was only one bag, so thank goodness for small miracles.

"Cha-ching!" she whooped. "Great purchase!"

"Cha-ching? That's what the cashiers would say, Eri, not you."

"Why not? With a 40% discount I saved a little more money for myself." She rubbed her hands eagerly. "Ooh, now I'm fired up! Let's go someplace next! This date is far from over!"

"Please let it not be a boutique," I groaned.

"Oh, it's not, don't worry." Her hand waved in the direction of our next pit-stop, and my jaw dropped in horror. "It's not strictly a boutique… more like a lingerie store."

I could feel the blood bubbling in my nose as I stammered the shop's name: "Lacy Temptations? !"

"Yeah! Great timing too! I need a new bra anyway. Mine has been getting a little tight these days."

"T-T-Tight? !" Oh no… nosebleed incoming!

XOXOXOXOXO

It was nearly 7 pm by the time we were done shopping. Eri had kept her promise… to a degree. I was grateful that I wasn't buried in shopping bags – I had just two now – but I wished that just once, she'd be a bit more trustworthy.

We retired to Miyashita Park to take a final breather from today's roller coaster of a date before we would wrap it up and call it a night. There were some wide benches which made ideal resting places, and we were sitting side by side on one. Being the talkative sort, Eri had a lot to discuss.

"…And when we ended up in that fitting room, I was so scared we'd be found out. But it was kinda exciting at the same time! Like we're train robbers running from the law or something. Wouldn't you agree, Neku?"

"I lost half of my lifespan back there," I groaned. "That was scary." It was exciting alright, not because of the thrill of the danger, but because of… well, you know by now. Eri sure had a body to die for, and I almost died.

"Neku, are you, um, okay? You look really pale."

"How could I not when I'd lost so much blood? !"

She giggled. "Sorry. It's just fun to tease you and watch your poor nose go ballistic. You're a total riot when it comes to nosebleeds."

"Th-That's not funny, man… I lost about a gallon back at Lacy Temptations, and now I feel anemic. This is all your fault."

"Why, thank you, Neku," she said, ruffling my hair playfully. "It's good to know I've still got it."

I reconstructed my hair back into its original shape. "That wasn't a compliment!"

The evening was rolling in and it was already beginning to get dark, but we stayed for a little longer to appreciate the quietness of the empty park. It was almost serene how Eri and I were the only ones left in this deserted place.

"Hey, Neku," she piped up. "Do you know now?"

I didn't understand. "Know… what?"

She hopped to her feet and paced back and forth leisurely in front of me. "Remember how you were all depressed today about not knowing what it's like to date someone? Now you know what that feels like, right?"

Today's date with Eri – well, pretend date, anyway – was more embarrassing and torturous than anything, but at the same time, hanging out with her gave me a sort of… pleasant feeling. I couldn't explain it. But even when she was spoon-feeding me ice-cream against my will or even going dominatrix on me in a tiny fitting room, I felt happy. That happiness was mostly shoved to the back of my mind because I was too preoccupied to actually feel it, but now that I thought back, I was awfully glad I got to share those experiences with her.

It helped to fill up the void in my heart that Shiki had left. Thanks to Eri's efforts, my soul pain was slowly subsiding. Already I felt like I could carry on like normal and live a happy life, even if it was a life without Shiki.

Now, however, there was some confusion in my heart. I didn't know what it was, but I would find out in a moment.

"I doubt that dates are supposed to wind up this weird," I said, "but don't get me wrong. I… I was glad. Really… I was. So… um, thanks, Eri."

"Good to know you've cheered up," she said, grinning. "See? You're feeling a whole lot sunnier now, aren't you?"

"I do feel better… But it's weird for the girl to do the asking out. I'd rather I do it than you."

Her warm smile took on a mischievous flavour. "Hmmm? What's this now? Are you trying to hit on me, Neku? Getting a little bold now, are we?"

My face was starting to turn a beautiful crimson. "Th-That's not it, Eri! I didn't mean anything weird by it… I'm just saying I have to be a gentleman. And a gentleman always takes the initiative, right? It just feels odd that I'm a guy and I'm being treated by a girl to a movie and stuff. Our roles just got reversed."

"Hmmm, yeah, that's true. I love a guy who takes charge."

Ba-dump. Was that the sound of my heart? Why did it…?

"Oh! I know!" she quipped. "Since you understand the importance of chivalry, how about I give you a chance to try it out?"

"What'd you mean? Try what?"

"You can take me out for a movie or dinner to repay me for today's date! It'll be like dating practice for you too. How about it?"

Eri's forwardness was startling… "Movie? Dinner? !"

"Give and take, Neku," she smirked. "That's how the world works, right? I did tell you."

"So basically it's your greed at work, huh," I sighed. "But it'll be like a real date, so, um…"

She folded her arms and looked to the side, as if in deep thought. "I wouldn't call it a real date because we're not going out. More like a 'one good turn deserves another' sort of thing. But hey, if you want to use me as dating practice, I'm cool. But no kissing or holding hands, 'kay? I'm still taken."

I was already rather red to begin with, but now my blush deepened. Was this pure open-mindedness on her part or was she messing with my head again?

"Although…" she drawled, gnawing on her finger playfully, "if you impress me enough, I might just fall for you…"

"Bwuh? !"

"Ha ha, relax!" She patted me on the shoulder. "Don't take life so seriously! You've got to loosen up a little! …Oh, it's getting late. Well, it's been fun! Shall we be off?"

"Y-Yeah… Right with you."

Now I was confused. Eri was just a really good friend, but after witnessing her selflessness and how nice she could actually be… to be honest, my heart was starting to pound a little harder. So this was how things had turned out, huh? Funny how I was pulling my hair out over Shiki today and now I was actually feeling something towards Eri. Something like… love?

Me, in love with Eri? Ha, you wish!

At least, I wanted to laugh at the very thought, but I wasn't so sure I could do that now…