As much as you'd love just to stand here forever and indulge in some good old-fashioned gap moe…

At that moment, your stomach lets out a painfully loud gurgle… Loud enough for Infinity Princess to hear. She jolts; her back stiffens as you lean in to give her a quick tap on the shoulder… And a subtle sniff to get a good whiff of her scent.

Hmm. No perfume or any floral fragrances. No chemical scents like you'd get off of cheap shampoo or conditioner. Just a hint of sweat… And a few earthy undertones that have to be her natural body odor.

Exquisite~

"Excuse me, but I couldn't help but notice… Do you not know how these kiosks work?" You demur.

Infinity Princess' eyes flash. She tries to maintain a stoic expression, but you can see the shame creep into her eyes. "… I'm sorry. I did not realize you were behind me. Please, go ahead…" She mutters quietly.

"No, it's just… Let me order for you?" You offer with a shy, pained smile. A surprisingly genuine smile. Gosh, how polite can one girl be? How painfully earnest?

"Please, you do not have to inconvenience yourself…" Infinity Princess continues to say. She sounds exactly like she does in the interviews she's given. Clipped, curt, utterly professional in tone and demeanor. Her detractors call her cold, unfeeling. Terminus City's Terminator, a machine who spends all of her time on the prowl…

Her detractors don't know shit. Just look at how her eyes flit about, look at the almost microscopic twitches her stoic face goes through… She might not be particularly expressive, but that doesn't make her cold. She might be quiet and more prone to silence, but that doesn't mean she doesn't feel.

"It's not an inconvenience at all. If you really want to pay me back though…" You wink playfully, and rummage through your purse for your wallet. "… Why don't you sit down and have a meal with me? My treat, okay~?"

"… Okay," Infinity Princess agrees. Your heart soars.

This… Is a date, isn't it?

Oh, you're so excited now! You could just squee with glee!

"Alright then! Here, lemme show you how to order from one of these kiosks. It's actually pretty simple; all you have to do is…"

--

Burgers in hand, the two of you make your way to one of Nova Space Burger's booths. You're humming with glee as you plop your tray on the ratty linoleum table and sit your shapely butt down on one of the cheap plastic seats. Infinity Princess sits across from you, as seemingly stoic as ever.

"… Thank you. For ordering for me," she says quietly. "I… I am sorry I held up the line for so long. I did not…"

"First time using one of those kiosks?" You ask in an attempt to make a bit of small talk as you unpick the wrapping around your burgers. Ah, those smells. The fresh scent of two fluffy buns of bread, the sharp tang of chopped onion. Fresh lettuce, a tomato, two slices of cheese, and two fat, juicy Nubeef patties.

Ooh, it's been so long since you've had a juicy burger… And the fries are alright, you suppose.

"… Yes," Infinity Princess responds. She gingerly makes to unwrap her own burger. She pokes and prods at it really, like the double cheeseburger is about to bite her. It's like she's unfamiliar with the whole concept of the burger...

She very well might be.

"There a reason you didn't ask for help?"

"I… Forgot how to…" Infinity Princess flushes. Her embarrassed blush is minuscule, almost unnoticeable. But not to your trained eyes.

"You forgot how to ask for help?" You repeat, just a bit teasingly. You regret adding that inflection to your voice the instant you catch sight of the hurt in Infinity Princess' eyes.

"I don't… Typically go out to eat at a place like this," Infinity Princess weighs her words carefully. Come to think of it, the pauses she's adding between each of her sentences… Is she just not used to having a casual conversation with a stranger?

Well, it's to be expected. Being a Magical Girl is a full-time job by itself. You remember what it was like back in your early years. Everything was so regimented. Strict. You had to keep operating on opaque rules set by garbage people with garbage ideas.

Wake up early in the morning. Watch the news. Try to ignore the way the world's burning. Eat. Train. Patrol. Change into an uncomfortable suit. Go to work at your corporate job. Eat. Patrol. Change into another uncomfortable suit. Go to your second job. Eat. Patrol. Go home. Try to ignore your overdue bills. Pass out.

Repeat the next day. Over and over, and over, and over. If you don't do this, Alice, you don't get paid in company scrip. You have to do this because people will die if you don't. There's no time for idle chit-chat on the job Alice, people are dying. You don't get paid for small talk Alice, nobody cares what you think Alice. The world's burning Alice; just push yourself a little longer and ignore that we're the ones who lit the fuse.

You can't act lewd Alice, you have a public persona to maintain. You can't change your outfit Alice; what would the public think if they saw you exposing that much skin? You can't date your teammate Alice; we need funding from this set of garbage people who don't like girls dating girls. Break off your relationship Alice; the garbage people disapprove of it. You have to head to this city and say goodbye to your girlfriend Alice, this set of worthless meatsacks need to be saved instead of this set of worthless meatsacks.

You can't attend the funeral, Alice.

I'm sorry, but you're needed elsewhere; the worthless meatsacks are complaining about your absence, and you've taken too much time off as it is. It's not healthy to grieve this much Alice, now get back to work, or you're fired...

...

Whew!

Being back in this place after so long's really sending you into a maudlin mood. You haven't had those thoughts in a long time! Not since your last meal here, so very long ago.

Some things never change in Terminus City. The propensity for the city to chew up and spit out Magical Girls is one of them. The insanity of a Magical Girl's schedule in this city's another thing that doesn't seem to have changed.

"Mmh," You say through muffled mouthfuls of burger. "Nah, I get it. You look like the kind of girl who's constantly working her tail off. Living the fast life, just no time for personal chit-chat. This your first break in a while?"

You do get it.

More than Infinity Princess knows…

"… My coworkers forced me to take a break. They were concerned about me. They said that I… Needed to set a better example to our juniors. And that I was overworking myself, and if I did not take a break, they would forcibly sedate me."

"Your coworkers sound like they really care about you," you say.

Magical Girls'll always look out for their own. Of all the people you've had problems with… Your original squad weren't ever people you had problems with. On the contrary, you loved those four more than anyone else in the world.

"They should not have to worry about me," Infinity Princess replies quietly. "… But I am glad that they do."

What were you saying? Not so stoic after all. You stare, enraptured by the gentle smile that's found its way across this girl's delicate face. Gosh, that smile. You'd kill to see that smile directed towards you. You'd prostrate yourself in front of this girl if only she'd smile at you just a second longer...

"That's why you're here then?" You ask, swirling a fry around in some cheap ketchup and doing your best to ignore the heat that's building in your loins. Hnn. Control yourself, Alice. Horniness isn't what you need right now.

Sincerity will do for you what horniness can't.

"My coworkers informed me that I needed to… Have 'fun' and 'relax.'" Infinity Princess confirms, poking at her own burger gingerly.

Oh boy.

You get why Steele and Libromancer aren't here, they're busy too. Steele runs a multi-billion credit company on the side, and Libromancer's one of the top magical researchers in the Magical Girl Association. And Infinity Princess' absence is probably creating a massive hole in their patrol schedule. You wouldn't be surprised if they're having the rookies pick up the slack until she gets back.

But this is just… Sad.

"And because you're working so much…" You grimace. "You just don't know how to have a good time anymore, huh?"

"…" Infinity Princess' blush intensifies. She hurriedly takes a small bite of her burger, attempting to fill the void in the conversation with the sound of her chewing… And then she finds herself scarfing the whole thing down. You watch with morbid amusement as your love digs in, practically devouring the greasy burger in her hands.

Her table manners are impeccable though. Goodness, you don't think there's a single stray spot of grease anywhere on this table.

Hng, she looks so adorable when she eats...

"And I guess it's been a long time since you've had a burger too, huh? Do you just not eat regular food or something?" You ask.

"… I eat on the job. My typical meals consist of nutrient paste and filtered water. That's enough to meet my caloric needs for the week," Infinity Princess wipes a fleck of burger meat from her mouth, all prim and proper.

What the hell. On the one hand, that's understandable. The post-Resource War world is devoid of many of the commodities the old world used to have. The rise of nutrient paste produced from algae farms and protein synthesizers to fill dietary and nutritional needs was honestly a necessity. Billions were on the verge of starving without the rise of supercomplexes devoted to churning the stuff out. As far as foodstuffs go, it's cheap as can be and filling to boot. Super easy to eat in the field. The ideal meal for the girl on the go.

But nutrient paste is just so… Bland. The stuff literally tastes like boiled cardboard. And the consistency…! Ick. It's literally like drinking snot.

Okay, this can't stand. You resolve right then and there that you're going to cook Infinity Princess a meal at some point. An excellent cut of Nubeef, seared on both sides. Garlicky mashed potatoes. Crisp peas. A nice decanter of red wine on the side. Or something else. Anything else.

Anything to save your love from the hell of constantly gagging down nutrient paste.

"… Okay, there's a lot to unpack right there, but we can fix that," you say, balling up the wrapper of your burger and setting it aside on the tray.

"We?" Infinity Princess asks.

"I mean… If you want to follow me around for the day. I've got a bit of free time myself. I'm moving to a new place today, and it'll take a while for my maids to move all my things in. If you don't know how to have fun, well…" You hem and haw, feeling a warm flush tinge your cheeks.

Kyah! You can't help yourself! You're an embarrassed maiden who's basically asking your crush out on a date; of course you'd feel this shy and nervous!

"Ugh. Basically, do you just… Want to hang out for the day?" You ask shyly. "There should be a few great stores in town…? Arcades might be your thing too. Or we could go see a movie! Eh? What do you think?"

Infinity Princess stares. Then stares some more.

"You are a complete stranger," she says bluntly. "Why are you… Why is it that…"

"Are you asking why I want to take you out? Well," you say, the corners of your mouth twitching into a more confident smirk. "No particular reason; I just think it might be fun."

Well. That's a lie. You do think it might be fun, but you've definitely got some ulterior motives...

"… That's it?" Infinity Princess eyes you, still looking wary.

Of course her hackles would be raised. Magical Girls like you and her don't get this old because they're overly trusting. Infinity Princess might not be great with people, but she's been around the block long enough to smell bullshit being sold to her.

Yeah, lies aren't going to work on this girl. It's a good thing lies aren't the only thing you've got up your sleeve...

... And that the truth in this case is honestly so much sweeter~!

"Well, that and I think you seriously need a break. You sound like you have a lot going on. I'm also a bit curious. You seem nice, so I want to see what you're like when you let your hair down for a bit. But most importantly…" You say.

"… Yes?" Infinity Princess leans in, fixing you with that intense stare of hers'. Uwah. It's like she's staring into your soul… Hee… You could just get lost in that stare of hers', within those unfathomable emerald orbs…

"… Most importantly…? I think you're cute, so I'd really like to get to know you better."

"…" Infinity Princess blinks once, twice. It's subtle, but shock crosses her face. "… Cute…?"

"The way you acted earlier? That was totally cute. The gap moe… It did things to my heart," you explain. "Like seriously, when I first saw you I thought you looked cool. The way you stare and all. But then I saw how much trouble you were having and how awkward you were being and it was like… Is that cool girl seriously being this much of an adorable dork? Am I seeing things? How could anyone possibly be that cute?"

"I'm… Cute…?"

"Yeah, you're cute," you reply, returning Infinity Princess' stare with the utmost sincerity. On impulse, you reach out to grab Infinity Princess' hands. And she lets you!

Uwah! You're… You're touching your love! Feeling her soft, warm hand between your own! Hwah, this is bliss. This stimulation's almost too much for you… You want to stay in this moment forever and ever...

"You're the absolute cutest," you finish.

Silence reigns in the restaurant, broken only by the tinny sounds of the clerk's earbuds blasting at full volume and the quiet snoring of the drunk who's just fallen asleep two booths down. Hee. You've stunned her into silence.

Time to move in for the finishing blow~

"So, what do you say? Let's blow this joint and head out for a day of fun. What do you think?" You ask cheerfully.

"… I don't even know your name," Infinity Princess comments almost feebly. She looks a bit punch-drunk like she can't actually believe all of this is happening to her.

Briefly, you think about lying to this adorable girl. About giving her a false identity. You dismiss those thoughts with ridiculous ease. Sincerity's gotten you this far with your love. Sincereity'll see you through to the end.

"Oh, right. Sorry! Alice Takanashi. Nice to meetcha!"

There's another pause.

"Kaina Shikinami," Infinity Princess – no, Kaina introduces herself. "I place myself in your care."

It's a date!

Yay!