Akira stood in front of the mirror and tried on another outfit.
Today was the promised date. He had planned the rest of it. The first step had turned into the hurdle.
He held one outfit after another, muttering.
"Not this one. Too cool. That one looks too warm. Hmmmm. What to choose…"
Selena's voice landed in his head.
"Bro. You still haven't chosen?"
Akira dropped the clothes onto the bed.
"I don't know, okay? I mean, I look good in everything. I'm just not sure which one will work here. Or what Erika will like."
Selena sounded thoughtful.
"Well, if you don't know what to wear, why not match Erika-chan and wear a couple's outfit?"
He nodded.
"That's not a bad idea. Should I go ask her? But… wouldn't it be better if we just randomly wore a couple's outfit? Sis. Tell me what dress she chose."
Selena giggled.
"Sure. But first, say 'big sister, I love you.'"
Akira said it flatly.
"Big sister, I love you. Now tell me what she chose."
Selena pouted.
"Can't you say that with more emotion?"
Akira looked frustrated.
"Sister."
Selena relented.
"Fine, fine. I'll tell you. She is wearing a blue-and-white-themed dress."
Akira thought for a moment, looking at all his clothes. Then it struck him.
"Okay, sister. I know what I should wear today."
He pulled out a white shirt, blue jeans, and a blue blazer.
"How does it look?"
Selena encouraged him.
"Not bad. Now go out there and charm her."
He faced the door like it was a boss.
"All right. Here I go."
Erika was already waiting downstairs in the hall.
The moment he saw her, he froze.
A Victorian-style white frilled blouse and a long navy skirt. Blue and white, exactly as Selena had described.
She saw him and froze too.
Neither of them spoke.
Akira managed it first, his ears already pink.
"It looks good on you."
Erika blushed and stammered.
"Y-You look good too."
Akira smiled confidently.
"I know. It took me five hours to choose this. It had to be good."
She sighed, and some of the tension left her shoulders. That familiar confidence. At least that was something she knew how to deal with. It was just Akira being Akira.
"Alright, alright. You look good. Now tell me where we are going."
Akira smiled mysteriously.
"Chiang Mai."
She frowned.
"Chiang Mai. That's in Thailand, right?"
Akira smiled brightly.
"Yeah. We are going to the Yi Peng Festival."
She looked at him, surprised. She had expected dinner. Or a cinema. Or a park. Or Akihabara, like usual. Not a festival in another country.
Then again, it was Akira. Anything could happen.
She sighed.
"So. How are we going to get there?"
He grinned and held out a hand toward the door.
"I'll show you. Come with me."
She followed him into the yard.
There was nothing there.
Akira took out his phone and pressed something.
The air peeled back. The Moon Infiltrator came out of its invisibility, long and sharp, black and purple under the house lights.
Erika's eyes widened.
"So this is the Moon Infiltrator… It really does look like the Sith Infiltrator from the movie. But black and purple."
She had known he built it. She had known he used it to reach the moon and bring back the crescent tears. And last time, he had used it to rain down hellfire on his enemies while it stayed invisible. She had never actually seen it.
Akira pressed another button. The hatch opened. He held out his hand, already halfway into the line he had practiced.
"Now, milady… alright. I forgot what to say next."
The yard went quiet.
Erika looked at his hand, then at his face. She took pity on him and helped him.
"I think it's supposed to be 'allow me to escort you,' or something."
His confidence came back at once.
"Right. That's it."
He coughed, offered his hand again, and committed.
"Now, my milady. Allow me to escort you to your ride."
Erika sighed. Then she smiled and placed her hand in his.
"Then I will be in your care."
Inside, the ship was nothing like its intimidating exterior. The seats were surprisingly comfortable, with a wide holographic screen and controls that looked far more modern than the ship's angular exterior suggested.
Erika turned once.
"This looks more modern than the ship you got from the gacha back then. This feels more like your style."
Akira smiled and turned the co-pilot seat toward her.
"That one was premade. This one I made completely myself. So I put everything I want in it. It can do many things. I'll show you everything. For now, take a seat. Let's get going."
She sat. The chair was softer than a pilot seat had any right to be. She fastened the belt, then noticed the glass bowl behind her.
"What is that huge fish tank?"
Akira glanced back.
"Oh. That. It's where Koro-sensei sits and powers the antimatter engine."
Erika looked confused.
"But Koro-sensei is not here."
Akira explained.
"Well. That's only for super high speed, or interstellar travel. For atmospheric flight, the ion engine is enough."
Erika leaned back in her seat.
"How long will it take us to get there?"
He dropped into the pilot seat.
"Normal cruising speed in the atmosphere is Mach 5. So around forty minutes, I guess."
He started the ship.
"Anyway. Let's go. We have a lot to do."
The Moon Infiltrator lifted, turned invisible again, and blasted toward Thailand.
---
Akira and Erika parked the ship somewhere and walked into the Chiang Mai market, immediately slowing down.
Stalls. Lanterns. People packed shoulder to shoulder under the evening lights.
Akira muttered, looking at the press of people.
"There is so much crowd."
Erika sighed.
"What did you expect? Do you know how famous this festival is? Of course there's a crowd."
He sighed again.
"Well. With the moon being destroyed, I thought there would be fewer people…"
Erika smiled.
She knew he didn't like crowds unless they were attached to anime. So she hugged his arm and pulled it close.
Akira looked at her, surprised.
"Erika?"
She smiled like it was obvious.
"What? There's a crowd. I don't want to get separated."
He smiled brightly.
"Okay."
They walked on, hand in hand.
Erika glanced down the row of stalls.
"So. Where should we go?"
Akira also looked around.
"Well. It's still evening. How about we look around the market? I heard there are many tasty foods here. We can taste everything."
Erika sighed, thinking this was so him, and nodded.
"Alright. Let's go. What do you want to eat?"
Akira pointed.
"Look. Mini stuffed pancakes."
He dragged her over.
Erika thought they should at least start with something more local, but followed him anyway.
They tried whatever they wanted.
Mostly, Akira ate whatever he wanted. Erika took small bites and watched the plates disappear.
Mango sticky rice. Coconut pudding. Pad Thai. A bowl of rib soup buried under a mountain of green chilis. All of it disappeared under the shocked stares of the people around the stall. His hypermetabolism didn't care. He was still hungry.
Akira pointed at another stall.
"Erika. Look. That's Mee Krob. I heard even kings like it. Let's go check it out."
She sighed and went with him.
He took one bite of the fried noodles and stopped.
"Hmm. This is actually good."
Erika watched his face.
"Is it the 'I want to eat it again' kind of good?"
Akira nodded, taking another bite.
"Yeah. It's better than I expected."
She tasted it herself and nodded.
"It is good. Maybe I should ask for the recipe. Akira. Translate for me."
He looked surprised.
"Why do you want the recipe?"
Erika looked at him like he was an idiot.
"To open a stall… of course it's to cook for you. What else?"
Akira blinked.
"Actually, Erika, I have a question. You were never the type to like cooking when we were little. When did you start?"
Erika looked at him like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Because I know you're too lazy to cook. One of us had to be the responsible one, you know. So. Are you going to translate for me, or should I use Google Translate?"
He looked a little shocked, and a little happy. He hadn't known she was already thinking about their future even back then.
He smiled.
"Actually, I know the recipe. So don't worry."
Erika narrowed her eyes.
"How do you know?"
Akira looked smug.
"All I need is a single taste, and I know what's in there and how it's made. I may not have the god tongue, but I can still figure it out."
She looked at him and sighed.
"Of course you can… then give me the recipe when we get back."
Akira smiled.
"Sure."
After the food, they drifted into the accessory stalls.
Akira stopped in front of one, pointed at a whole display, and told the shopkeeper,
"Give me this entire row."
The shopkeeper froze.
Erika said in English that he was just joking, grabbed his sleeve, and pulled him two steps away.
"What are you doing?"
Akira answered like it was perfectly reasonable.
"I wanted to buy something for you. But I'm not sure which one suits you better. So if I buy all of them, you can wear one every day, right?"
Erika sighed. Hopeless.
"Akira. When you choose a gift for a girl, or rather, your girlfriend, you have to choose it with your heart. You can't randomly choose a lot of it and call it a day. No girl would like that… Wait. Why am I teaching my own boyfriend this? Anyway. Buy me something important. You choose it with your heart. Not random stuff."
Akira nodded, serious.
"Alright. I will choose one with all my… wait. I don't have a heart."
Erika snapped.
"Choose one."
Akira immediately answered.
"Okay."
He scanned the shop like missing the right bracelet would be a critical failure. Then he stopped.
A gold-and-pink rose bracelet.
He pointed.
"That one. Give me that."
After he paid, he held it out like a peace offering.
"Do you like this?"
Erika looked at it and smiled.
"I like it."
She put it on and lifted her wrist.
"What do you think?"
Akira nodded, pleased with himself.
"Yep. I have a great eye. As expected."
Erika hit him lightly, then took his hand.
"Come on. I think it's time. We still need to build our sky lantern and the little float."
Akira smiled and followed her.
"Okay."
As they left the market stalls, the decorations grew denser.
Lanterns hung from trees, buildings, and temple entrances. Warm light filled the evening streets.
Erika looked up.
"It's beautiful."
Akira followed her gaze and smiled.
"Just wait till the sky lantern release. I'll show you something even more beautiful."
Erika smiled.
"Sure. Impress me."
He looked confident.
"I will. Now let's go make our lantern."
He guided her to a place where they showed people how to build their own sky lanterns and little rafts, then let them build them.
They started together.
Erika placed a hand on the paper.
"Alright, Akira. We are going to make a normal lantern, okay? Just a normal one. No lantern that reaches outer space. No lantern that can break the sound barrier. Just a normal one."
Akira nodded seriously.
"Alright. Just a normal one."
A few minutes later, they had somehow built a small Titanic and a floating castle.
Erika stared at both.
"What did I say about making it normal?"
Akira looked down.
"But this is normal."
Erika pointed at the others, who were looking at them in amazement.
"Do it again. Make them like the others."
He sighed.
"Fine."
They remade them until they looked as normal as possible.
Akira held out the pen.
"They said people write their wishes on these. Do you want to write something?"
Erika nodded seriously.
"Don't look."
She wrote with her full attention, hiding the paper beneath her hand.
Akira leaned over, failed to see anything, and asked anyway.
"So, what did you write?"
Erika didn't lift the paper.
"Can't you see I'm keeping it a secret? I won't tell you."
He sighed.
"Well. If you say so…"
He wrote his own wish on the other side.
Erika leaned in.
His wish was: Make whatever Erika wrote come true.
She looked at him.
Akira met her eyes.
"What? I can make what I want come true with my own power, okay? You're the one who needs all the help here."
Erika sighed, smiled, and didn't say anything.
She looked happy with herself.
After the float and the lantern were done, Akira nodded toward the river.
"First, let's release the float. Then we can go for the lantern."
Erika nodded.
They walked to the river, made a silent wish with everyone else, and let the float go.
It joined the others and drifted along, lighting up the water.
Akira took her hand.
"Come on. Let's go release the sky lantern next."
He dragged her toward the field where the lanterns were going up.
Akira smiled.
"Are you ready?"
Erika smiled back.
"I'm ready."
They nodded and released it.
Their lantern rose with the others. The night sky filled with glowing stars that had no business being that close to the ground.
Erika watched it climb.
"I only saw it online before. Now I can see it myself. It is beautiful."
Akira looked at her.
"Wanna see something even more beautiful?"
Erika turned, surprised.
"There is?"
Akira smiled mysteriously.
"Come with me."
He held her hand and led her into an alley.
The Moon Infiltrator was waiting, invisible until the hatch opened.
Akira took her inside and sat her in the co-pilot seat. He dropped into the pilot seat and smiled.
"Now the real show begins."
The invisible ship lifted and flew toward the lanterns.
Akira pressed a button.
"It's time for theater mode."
The hull became completely transparent, giving them a full 360-degree view of the world around them.
Erika slammed into him from the shift and looked around.
"What is this?"
Akira smiled.
"It's theater mode. I made it so it can give us a good view of the scenery outside. Oh, don't worry. We can see outside, but they can't see inside."
Erika smiled.
"I see."
She leaned closer without quite deciding to.
Above them, lanterns filled the night. Below them, the floats lit the river. The ship hung between the two, flying through what looked like stars.
Akira glanced at her, then around, then back at her.
"It looks good, right? It looks good, right? You like it, right?"
Erika leaned in.
"Yes. I do…"
Before he could react, she kissed his cheek.
Akira froze.
He had not expected it at all.
Erika blushed.
"That's for the school festival."
His brain almost rebooted.
She leaned in and kissed his other cheek.
"That's for the date."
The reboot exploded.
He looked at her blankly.
Erika turned her face, red.
"Don't just stare at me like that. It's embarrassing."
Akira slowly smiled. Bright. Idiot-bright.
"Hehe."
He was happy. He didn't know why kisses made him happy. He was happy anyway.
Then a thought arrived that he couldn't ignore.
He turned to her, hesitant.
"Erika…"
She looked back.
"What?"
Akira blushed.
"Can I… give you a kiss too?"
Erika went red. She hadn't expected him to ask that so suddenly.
"W-What?"
He looked at her with those big eyes.
"Can I?"
She went even redder and finally said, "Okay."
She closed her eyes tight.
Akira gathered all his courage.
"Here I come."
He moved closer.
Then he realized something.
He didn't know how to kiss.
He stalled at the most critical moment of his life.
What to do. What to do. Hmm. It can't be helped. I have to improvise.
He closed the distance and touched her cheek with his mouth.
Erika felt something wrong, jerked back, red, and almost screamed.
"What are you doing?"
Akira looked surprised.
"Eh? Kissing… but I don't know how to… Did I mess up?"
Erika blushed harder.
"That's not how to kiss."
He looked down.
"I can't believe I messed it up…"
She stammered.
"It's not bad… Wait. What are you making me say? Just shut up. I will teach you how to do it later. For now, just shut up."
Akira opened his mouth.
"But?"
Erika snapped.
"Shut up."
Akira shut up.
Erika sighed.
"Let's just enjoy the view, okay?"
She leaned in closer.
Akira smiled.
"Okay."
They sat together in silence, drifting through what looked like a sea of glowing fireflies in the night sky.