Shido was waiting at the station, a popular meeting spot for everyone in the city, be it work colleagues wanting to meet up, or high school teens trying to go on a date.

And that last case was exactly Shido's.

"Did you wait long, Shido-san?"

"Ah, no. I got here not long ago."

When Tenka and the Nibelcoles invaded, Kurumi protected Shido from an attack and asked for a date in compensation. She didn't waste any time and claimed her reward as early as the next weekend.

Well, Shido understood why she didn't wait. If they didn't do it now, there's a chance that they would have to wait a long time for their next opportunity.

But now wasn't the time to think about that. Shido knew he had a job to do before the date properly started.

"You look beautiful, Kurumi."

Kurumi was wearing a black dress with frills. Both the dress' skirt and sleeves were long, meaning Kurumi wasn't showing a lot of skin. Yet, maybe because he'd seen her in the highly revealing plugsuit a number of times already, he could easily imagine her curves beneath that dress.

"Ara, thank you."

Shido had told Mio about his date with Kurumi, and that was one of the tips she told him. As soon as he met with Kurumi, he should compliment her.

Of course, she also told him many other things, including to make sure that Kurumi got her Spirit CR-Unit by the end of this date, but Shido wasn't planning to follow all her directions. He wasn't planning to force Kurumi into anything just to make sure she got her CR-Unit today, though he wouldn't be against it either if it happened to go that way.

Part of Shido felt a bit guilty, that maybe he should go on a date with Tohka or Origami instead of Kurumi. But at the same time, he had promised it to Kurumi, and it would take a while for another opportunity to come if they missed this, and it's not like he couldn't go with them some other day.

Shido decided to stop thinking about that. It wouldn't be nice to Kurumi to keep thinking about other girls. Regardless of anything, they're on a date now, so Shido has to do things properly.

Now that he thought about it, wasn't this his first date? Yeah, Shido had already gone a bit further with Tohka and Origami, but this is the first proper date, isn't it?

Suddenly, Shido started feeling butterflies in his stomach. But that feeling was soon gone once Kurumi wrapped har arm around Shido's.

"You also look handsome, Shido-san. Now, let's go."

"Ah, yeah. Let's go."

Shido hadn't really put much thought on his clothes. Like most boys his age, he just dresses up however is proper without worrying much about it. Still, being complimented felt nice.

And so, Shido and Kurumi's date started.

[We're ready on our side, Shido.]

[Just follow our lead and we'll make your date a success.]

Shido heard Maria and Marina's voices. That said, he was the only one who could hear them.

That's because he was currently wearing an earpiece Mio had given him. Since this date could lead to Kurumi getting her Spirit CR-Unit, she wanted to make sure things would go well.

Shido wasn't planning to actually use the earpiece, he was going to plan his date himself. But then, after he spent all night thinking and couldn't come up with a good plan, he lowered his head and asked for help.

"Where should we go, Shido-san?"

"That's…"

[Shido, from Kurumi's recent behavior, it seems she has somewhere she wants to go.]

[She also likes your awkward side, so tell her you didn't plan anything. But obviously, don't do it so bluntly.]

Shido almost replied, but that would have made things seem suspicious. So he simply continued his conversation with Kurumi.

… He also decided to ignore the fact that the "recent behavior" Maria mentioned likely came from spying on her browsing history and things like that rather than just observing her at the NWET headquarters.

"Actually, I tried to plan something all night but it didn't work out. Do you have anywhere you'd like to go?"

"Fufufu, I didn't expect you to be this honest with me, but I don't dislike it. Yes, there is someone I want Shido-san to accompany me."

Shido felt his chest becoming less tight. He had been really worried about fumbling everything right from the start.

Kurumi, still holding on to Shido's arm, took the lead. It wasn't long before they arrived at the place she wanted to go.

"This is…"

That was Shido's reaction as soon as he saw the place. It wasn't some weird shop he'd never seen before. In fact, it looked like a very normal clothing store.

"Yes, this is where I wanted to come. I've never had many male friends, but I've always wanted to come shopping for clothes with a boyfriend."

Shido blushed a bit after hearing Kurumi's words, which made her giggle a little.

[So just a normal clothing store? I expected more to be honest.]

[Well, I believe it's understandable. According to their records, both Kurumi and Maya have been studying in the same all-female boarding school all their lives. While simple and common, it's something Kurumi never experienced, which explains why she would want to take this opportunity.]

Marina sounded a bit disappointed for some reason, while Maria took a more analytical approach. Shido didn't understand why they were telling him this, but ignoring that, he couldn't help but now think of Kurumi as some rich young lady, however close or far from reality that might have been.

"Well, I don't mind. You just want to take a look at clothes and show them to me, right?"

"That would be interesting, but I think that would be a bit boring for Shido-san. What I had in mind was a slightly different idea. I would like to choose an outfit for Shido-san, and I would like Shido-san to choose one for me. Then, we'll gift them to each other."

Now that Kurumi said that, Shido noticed that this clothing store wasn't just focused on women, but seemed to be focused on clothes in general, be it for women, men, teens or kids.

Shido didn't mind that idea, he had more than enough money. He did warn Kurumi that he didn't have much of a sense of fashion, but she said it wouldn't be a problem.

Since Shido agreed, Kurumi smiled and said she wanted to choose his outfit first. They walked over to where the men's clothes were, and Kurumi began to look at a bunch of outfits.

Although she said she wanted to try this different idea because she figured just normally looking at clothes would be boring for Shido, this wasn't really much better. Still, Shido simply smiled and continued to follow Kurumi, occasionally offering a bit of commentary here and there.

"Yes, I think this should be fine."

Shido didn't really know how to properly describe the outfit Kurumi had chosen for him. To him, it was just a pair of pants, a shirt, a jacket and a pair of shoes and socks. Sure, he knew some brands and images of the items, but no more than the average man if he was being honest. He was a bit surprised when she even picked socks and shoes for him, but then she told him that they were supposed to pick complete outfits for each other.

"I guess I should go try them on now?"

"Not just yet."

Shido was surprised when Kurumi answered that. He tried to think about what else there could possibly be, but the only thing that came to mind were accessories, but Shido didn't really wear any, and there weren't any being sold in this clothing shop as far as he had seen.

But his doubts would soon be answered. Kurumi moved to the male underwear section. She started looking through a bunch of underwear, no doubt imagining them on Shido.

"K-Kurumi, are you going to even choose underwear?"

"Of course, and I also expect Shido-san to choose mine. While being able to show a loved one's outfit and say that you were the one who chose for them is a nice feeling, something as intimate as underwear is even more thrilling. It's something known only to the two people who share such intimacy… though in Shido-san's case, I might have to be lenient on the number."

[Oh, I see. Very interesting.]

Shido wasn't sure if what was making him blush was the fact that Kurumi was choosing underwear for him or the fact that she called him a loved one. Meanwhile, Marina seemed really interested.

Still, there seemed to be no helping it, so Shido decided he might as well help Kurumi pick something he liked, preferably before she chose the thong she was intently looking at.

Thankfully, they were done in a few short minutes and Shido quickly took everything Kurumi had chosen for him to the changing room. He tried them on, with the underwear being the only exception of course, and showed his appearance to her. Having gotten her approval, it was time to move on to the next stage.

"Now, it's time for Shido-san to choose my outfit."

"Ah."

Shido couldn't help but let out that noise. He had slightly forgotten about that.

There was no escaping it, so, after moving to the women's clothes section, Shido began to look through some outfits. After a good couple of minutes, he made his pick.

Shido chose a white long-sleeved shirt for the top and a tight-fitting black skirt for the bottom. For the shoes, he chose some high heels, though nothing that would be too uncomfortable, and some stockings.

"So this is what Shido-san likes."

"I-I guess? Do you want to try it on?"

"I will, after you choose the underwear to go along with it."

Shido was slightly hoping Kurumi would have been impressed enough with his careful choosing to the point where she forgot about that. However, given that the other option Kurumi gave him was for her to wear nothing underneath that, Shido resigned himself and walked over to the female underwear section.

Needless to say, there were some pretty intense glares in his direction, but since Kurumi was quite close to him, no one did anything more than that. Shido did his best to quickly pick some underwear that Kurumi wouldn't complain about.

"T-these ones."

"Ara."

Without noticing, Shido ended up choosing some black see-through underwear. He would be lying if he said he hadn't imagined Kurumi in those, but he didn't think he'd end up pointing to them when he decided to randomly point to something.

He almost said he'd pick something else, but Kurumi was faster in snatching them and going to the changing room. She showed herself wearing the outfit Shido had chosen. Obviously, for hygienic reasons, she didn't try on the underwear, but she did put it over her body for Shido to see. Since he said it looked good on her, they paid for each other's outfits and then exchanged shopping bags once they left the store.

"Haah."

[What are you doing sighing in front of your date?!]

"Ara, are you tired, Shido-san? But we're just getting started."

[... You're in luck, it seems that Kurumi didn't mind it. But be more careful next time, Shido.]

Apparently, Kurumi wasn't satisfied quite yet. According to her, a girl's outfit also includes various accessories, so that's what Shido would have to pick for her next. Shido almost voiced a complaint, but the other option Kurumi gave him was a full renovation of her underwear wardrobe, so Shido just silently followed.

Still, Kurumi didn't keep them on that for too long. They only spent around an hour by the time they were done, at which point Kurumi gave the date's lead to Shido, telling him it would be fine to keep going until around sunset.

Guided by Maria and Marina, Shido took Kurumi to interesting places around the city. So, although their date didn't have a specific goal like watching a movie or anything, it was still interesting. It also gave them plenty of time to talk and deepen their friendship.

However, the hours still passed, and the sun eventually began to come down, meaning their date was about to end.

[Shido, when going back, use this path.]

Maria directed Shido and Kurumi through a different way from how they came. They ended up somewhere where they could see the sunset.

"Wow, it's so beautiful."

Kurumi stopped walking for a second to admire the beautiful sunset. Shido stood beside her, silent, admiring the scenery with her. Somewhat unconsciously, he held her hand for the few minutes they stood there.

Kurumi seemed satisfied after a few minutes, then she asked Shido to come with her. They moved to a slightly more private place.

"There's something I'd like to show to Shido-san."

Kurumi said that. For a second, Shido was expecting her to lift up her dress' skirt or something like that, but it seems Kurumi was actually being serious.

She lifted the part of her hair that covered the left side of her face. What was revealed to Shido was a beautiful golden eye, a color that didn't match her other eye.

Shido had wondered what Kurumi was hiding under her hair. He thought it might have been a scar or something, or maybe it was even just a choice of style. But he didn't expect her to have heterochromia.

"My eyes were born like this. I've always been conscious of it, so I'm always hiding my left eye. Before Shido-san, I had only shown my left eye to my best friend, Sawa-san, but she's unfortunately no longer here. That's, considering how we'll be working together in the future, I thought I should show it to Shido-san…"

Kurumi seemed strangely embarrassed, probably because she wasn't used to people seeing her like this. It was a nice change from how she had acted so far.

"Thanks for showing it to me. Well, I don't really know what to say except that it's beautiful… ah, sorry."

Without meaning to, Shido ended up touching the left side of Kurumi's face. That surprised her, which made her drop her hair, covering everything again.

Still, it wasn't like Kurumi disliked it. So much so that, after the surprise passed, she started giggling.

"Shido-san is really interesting. Now, let's return before it gets dark."

They continued making their way back to the dormitory of Kurumi's school, where Shido would drop her off. She held Shido's arm even tighter for the rest of the way back.

They eventually arrived, and Shido was about ready to call this the end of the date.

"Thank you for everything today, Shido-san."

Kurumi said, and then kissed Shido. She wrapped her arm around Shido's neck and held him in a tight embrace. Shido was surprised at first, but then also wrapped his arms around Kurumi's waist.

Shido hadn't noticed it so far, but it seems Kurumi's dress was quite loose. Once he held her, he could feel it bending to the curves of her body. Thinking about what was underneath that dress made him excited.

"This will be it for today since I'm out of time. But I'd like to take things further next time."

Kurumi whispered in Shido's ear and entered the dormitory. Even as he was making his way back home, Shido was still a bit stunned.

[Yes! Kurumi has surpassed 20% compatibility. Her Spirit CR-Unit is a go!]

[Congratulations on the successful date, Shido.]

The AI girls congratulated Shido as he was walking back home, slightly lost in dreamland thinking about what might be in store for the next date.