"Oh, the sun is down," Selene said, gazing up at the sky as if she hadn't just gotten roasted by me ten minutes ago. Her expression was calm, borderline dreamy. "Kisaragi, do you know how to skate?"
She smiled like nothing happened—like I hadn't just poured every ounce of frustration onto her. Like she'd already forgotten the things I said.
"No, I don't. I've never skated before," I replied coolly, trying not to sound as emotionally tired as I felt. "Why can't you just let me go?"
"I promised you seven dates to show you love, Kisaragi. I can't go back on my promise," she said without missing a beat.
I let out a dry chuckle, smirking. "Huh. I didn't really think it through, but how can a cold queen like you show me the meaning of love? Do you even know what love means? Because if you did, you wouldn't still be holding me against my will."
She stepped closer, her gaze softening. "I promised you. So I have to keep going. If you're not with me, how can I show you? All I ask is that you let down your guard—just a little—and let me prove that everyone deserves love. Even you."
The way she said that... it caught me off guard.
I cleared my throat. "Ahem. So… what exactly can you do on a date when it's already almost night? I've got a curfew, you know."
"Okay then. After skating, Ice will take you home," she said without hesitation.
I sighed. "Okay, then... let's go skating."
"Great," she said, her eyes sparkling. Then she turned toward Ice. "Ice."
She snapped her fingers.
In the blink of an eye, Ice transformed from his human-like form into a massive icy dragon, his wings expanding with elegance and power. Cold wind burst out from beneath him as he lowered his body.
Before I could react, Selene levitated me off the ground like it was nothing and placed me gently on Ice's back. She followed, settling behind me, and with a flap of enormous wings, Ice took off, slicing through the air with graceful power.
The sky turned indigo as we soared through clouds. The cold air brushed against my face, the stars beginning to peek out as night rolled in. Despite myself, I couldn't help but enjoy the view.
Eventually, we landed on a deserted island—no people, no buildings. Just sand, rocks, and a quiet breeze. It felt oddly peaceful.
Selene floated us both to the ground, landing softly.
I glanced around. "Are we going to skate here?"
"Mmhmm," she nodded, smiling.
"Skating... on sand? And not even a smooth surface? What's your version of skating, exactly?!"
She giggled. "Relax, Kisaragi."
Then Ice, still in his dragon form, opened his massive jaws and breathed out—but instead of fire, he released a swirling blizzard. In seconds, the entire island began to shift and shimmer.
The sand froze over. Crystals of ice formed like veins across the ground. Within moments, the island had turned into a vast, glimmering frozen lake under the stars.
"...Wow," I whispered. I didn't even realize I was smiling.
"It's a good thing you like it," Selene said, her voice soft with satisfaction.
I quickly coughed and crossed my arms. "Cough, cough. I mean, yeah, sure, whatever. It's alright, I guess. But skating requires skates, genius. Did you bring any?"
She just looked at me and smiled again.
Then, with a graceful motion, she knelt in front of me. Her palm shimmered with icy magic as she held it near my feet.
"Wait—what are you doing?" I asked, but before I could stop her, my shoes transformed into sleek, crystal-clear ice skates.
"Another surprise," I muttered, stunned.
She turned her own shoes to skates, standing up with effortless balance.
"Whoa—oh!" I gasped, already slipping forward. But Selene caught me, holding me by the arms.
"Thank you," I said quickly, trying to pretend I wasn't just about to wipe out face-first.
"I'll guide you," she said. "Follow my lead."
With her hands gently holding mine, we slowly began to skate across the frozen island. She moved effortlessly, like this was her natural state—like the ice responded to her steps. Me? I felt like a baby deer learning to walk for the first time.
"Oh my god, I am so bad at this," I said, wobbling.
"No, Kisaragi. You're doing great. Keep going," she encouraged me, gently letting go of my hands.
"Wow! I'm doing it!" I said, smiling as I glided a few feet alone. "See, Selene? I'm—"
I immediately lost balance and fell flat on my butt.
"Nope. I'm not doing it," I groaned.
Selene skated back to me like a pro, elegant and unbothered. She held out her hand with a kind smile.
"If you keep trying, you'll get better. It's simple," she said.
"It's easy for you to say. You are ice itself. You'd probably be great as a hockey player."
"Hockey player?" she asked, tilting her head.
"It's a sport," I said, brushing snow off my pants.
"How do you play it?"
I paused. "Well, basically, players use sticks to hit a puck into the opposing team's goal while skating. It's fast-paced and kinda violent sometimes… but fun to watch. But I'm not a hockey player—I don't do sports."
"Wow. I'd like to try it someday," she said. "Do you know where they play it?"
"Not in this world," I muttered. "But maybe one day, I'll take you to a hockey game in Canada."
"'This world'? We live in the same world, right?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. "Lately, your words sound different… like you're a stranger in a foreign land."
Oh god.
Oh no. That was getting way too close to the truth.
"Ehn—do you play snowball?" I said, immediately changing the subject.
"Snowball?" she blinked.
I wobbled away on my skates, still clumsy, then crouched down and scooped up snow, forming it into a ball. With a grin, I tossed it right at her.
It hit her shoulder.
She stood there, stunned.
"…What was that for?" she asked, completely caught off guard.
I laughed and threw another one. Then another. "C'mon, now you get it!"
"Hey! Stop it!" she shouted, laughing, as she formed her own snowball—but instead of scooping it, she just created one with magic and threw it straight at my chest.
"Hey! That's cheating! You're supposed to pick it up and throw—not create it!" I shouted between laughs.
We continued like that for a while—tossing snowballs, skating around, occasionally falling, but laughing the whole time. Even Ice just sat there, watching us with his icy dragon eyes, probably wondering what kind of chaos he was babysitting.
Eventually, we both collapsed onto the icy floor, breathless and smiling.
"Wow... that was fun," I admitted as we rode on Ice's back later, the wind cool against our faces.
"So, what's next?" I asked, surprisingly cheerful.
"I'm taking you home," Selene said.
"What? Why?"
"Because our date for today is over. I told myself—I wouldn't give up until I made you smile. And you did. You had fun. That means my mission is complete. We'll look forward to our second date."
I blinked.
Wow. I can't believe she actually made me have fun outside. And now she was dumping me just like that?
Bad Selene. Bad.
She probably noticed the look on my face, because she smiled knowingly.
.....
"Okay, I guess I'll take my leave now, Kisaragi," she said as she levitated me through my window and gently set me down in my room.
"Yeah, that's… goodbye," I said awkwardly, waving.
"See you tomorrow," she replied, already turning away.
"Tomorrow? Oh, right—our second date?" I asked.
"No. Tomorrow is our engagement party," she said calmly.
"Oh. Yes. Totally forgot. I'm getting engaged tomorrow. Haha… Tomorrow," I said, fake-laughing while dying a little inside.
She leaned in suddenly and planted a quick kiss on my lips.
"Now I get to kiss Kisaragi whenever I want," she said with a smug little smirk, then floated out the window like a glowing goddess and hopped onto her dragon.
They disappeared into the night sky.
And me?
I must admit... that ice scene made my day. It reminded me of my childhood somehow—slipping, skating, playing in the snow. Laughing.
I can't believe Selene Kurosuki made my day.
I yawned and rolled into bed, ready to sleep.
And then—someone scared the life out of me.