One day near the park, a green-colored portal was summoned. Out of it, a large number of tiny, green cubic slimes began roaming around and attacking people.
Meanwhile, Vincy and Ema were waiting at the bus station, returning from school. Suddenly, Ema's senses went wild.
"Vincy! There's a portal nearby!" She declared.
"Alright, let's go!" He replied.
When they arrived, they saw the slimes chasing people and animals.
"Squared slimes again? This is the fourth time this week," he complained.
"You're right, but even slimes can be dangerous," she replied. "We better not let people know about our identity as well."
"They won't notice us, they'll keep running," Vincy said. "Time for the {Berserk Mode}!"
"Don't use it yet," she interrupted, stopping him from pumping his fists. "I'll take care of them with {Luminous Orbs} instead."
Instantly, she began popping slimes with the orbs, careful not to let anyone see her. After a few minutes, he finished them off.
Suddenly, a bigger slime approached. It was nearly two hundred and fifty centimeters tall.
"Let me handle this one," he said, activating his power.
Without hesitation, he kept punching the giant slime over and over. Smash after smash, he managed to weaken it completely.
"I've never seen a slime survive after my second punch," he said, grinning. "Whatever, just a few more and it will be screwed anyway."
However, the slime began glowing, vibrating, and pulsing intensely.
"W-What's happening?" Ema asked, shocked.
"I-I don't know... this is new," he responded.
Instantly, the slime exploded, creating a jelly-like transparent domain that spread about ten meters around them.
"Umm... that wasn't so bad...?" Vincy said.
"This jelly bubble feels... weird," Ema replied, touching it.
"Meh, all we have to do is smash it and we'll break free!" Vincy exclaimed, clenching his fists.
Immediately, he jumped onto it with his fist raised. Vincy's hand broke through for a moment, then got shoved back as if the force bounced him away, collapsing onto the ground.
"W-What just happened?" He asked, confused.
"It pushed you backwards... or for a better explanation, it bounced instead of popping," she explained.
"You must be kidding, I'll try again!" He said.
He repeated the same process, and the same thing happened.
"Tsk. That annoying slime," he snapped.
He tried again, this time jumping onto it just to bounce faster while smashing. Still, it failed and kept bouncing him in different directions... until he finally crashed onto the ground again.
"THAT'S IT! USE YOUR BEAM!" He shouted, completely mad.
"No, this is a terrible idea," she refused.
"AND WHY'S THAT?" He asked, irritated.
"Sigh. Look closely and crouch," she replied.
She unleashed a small {Luminous Orb}, then shot it. It reflected for seconds at massive speed until it finally disappeared.
"You see what I mean?" She asked, unimpressed.
"Y-Yeah, this is crazy," he responded. "Why is this happening?"
"That domain doesn't only bounce your melee attacks, it can also reflect anything as well... including my beam," she explained.
"Does that mean... we...?" He asked, completely shocked.
"Exactly, we're stuck inside until somebody pops it from outside," she added. "Abodo is working, and Yukiko was absent because she wasn't feeling well yesterday, which means... they probably won't come any sooner."
They paused for a few seconds, then Vincy replied:
"Oh man... this is a nightmare!"
"Calm down, I'm pretty sure somebody will–" Ema began.
"NO! THIS IS A NIGHTMARE! WHY FROM ALL PEOPLE I'M STUCK WITH YOU?!" He yelled, panicked.
"Hey! What do you mean with that?! That's offensive!" She asked, annoyed.
"You always make me feel nervous! I can't take it anymore!" He answered.
"Oho, and how exactly am I making you feel nervous?" She asked with a twisted grin, repositioning her glasses.
"STOP MAKING SUSPICIOUS FACES!" He yelled, blushing intensely.
After a few minutes of unnecessary arguments, they sat on the grassy ground face-to-face, keeping some distance between them.
"What's wrong, Vincy~? Come here... I won't bite you~!" She teased with a playful tone, smirking.
"You know... I've never seen a girl tease like you before," Vincy replied, unimpressed.
"And you'll never see, because I'm special and unlike any other girl," she kept teasing.
"Yeah whatever, stay special away from me," he whispered, staring away. "Such a creep..."
A few hours passed, and they hadn't spoken once since then. Then suddenly, Vincy asked:
"I never asked you... why are you teasing me only? I never saw you tease Taro or Yukiko for example. Besides, I started to feel like you almost care more about me than I do."
Ema remained silent and didn't answer his question.
"S-Sorry, that question was unnecessary–" Vincy said.
"Silly, I do that on purpose," she whispered with a small blush, interrupting.
S-She's blushing...? He thought, shocked. She can't be serious!
"All the other girls treat the person special to them with a different kind of affection," she continued, blushing more. "That's my way... by teasing the one special to me."
Vincy froze in shock after hearing her words. Then, he exclaimed:
"WHOA WHOA WHOA! That's not funny anymore! Enough with the teasing alrea–"
"I'm not teasing now... this is the truth!" she interrupted firmly, staring at him. "I've always liked you..."
After hearing those words, he remained completely silent, staring down in shame.
"Sigh... forget it, that was awkward I know," she said, removing her glasses and closing her eyes.
Suddenly, she opened her eyes when she felt Vincy putting her glasses back in place.
"Sheesh, you look more pretty with these on," he replied quietly.
Ema didn't stop staring at his gentle, smiling face, blushing intensely for the first time. This was also the first time Vincy made an expression like this.
Then, he sat beside her, adding:
"You know, I had the same feelings toward you long ago."
"R-Really?" She asked.
"Yeah... we hadn't understood each other all these years properly," he responded. "A wise guy once said: true love is something that can only be experienced through marriage. Tied relationships are what works, other cheap romance is just a waste of time. That's why I don't call it love yet... I call it care. I didn't want to expose it yet, but I guess it doesn't matter anymore."
He paused for a few seconds, then continued while looking upward:
"We won't understand it completely without experiencing it. When the day comes, I'll ask you to be my wife... what do you say?"
She stared into his eyes for seconds, then asked:
"You promise?"
"Indeed! That's a promise!" He answered, smiling. "The only problem is my return to Italy–"
"It doesn't matter... I'll wait," she interrupted.
"But... that will be too much for you," he replied, worried.
"I can wait, as long as we will be together in the end," she said.
"Well... until then, let's remain as best friends," he added, winking.
"Yeah, that will be suitable for now," she agreed.
Hours passed, and they were still stuck inside. Suddenly, Ema's stomach began growling.
"Ow... I'm starving," Ema said, clutching her stomach.
"Me too... luckily I bought a chocolate bar," Vincy replied, grabbing his backpack.
"Great, now we can share and–" Ema began.
"Huh? You said something?" He interrupted, munching.
Before Ema could continue her sentence, Vincy had already eaten the whole chocolate bar, leaving remains around his mouth.
"N-Nevermind," she whispered, shocked.
After that, she stared down... until Vincy pumped her arm.
"Here! I bought one for you too," he said, handing her a chocolate bar.
She stared in disbelief, then asked while repositioning her glasses:
"You bought it for me?"
"Yeah, silly," he answered, smiling. "It's not like I'm eating alone here. That's your favorite, right?"
"R-Right... thank you so much, you're the best," she responded, accepting the bar gladly.
It became dark, and no sign of rescue arrived.
"It's already night... great," she said, unimpressed.
"Seems like we're doomed," he replied.
"It's getting colder already," she added, shaking. "Can't you use flames again?"
"Too bad it's gone forever... all thanks to Mr. Zorath," he responded, mocking.
Ema's body began shaking from the cold. Then, Vincy covered her with his school uniform jacket.
"W-What about you? It's getting colder," she asked.
"That's nothing... it's better than seeing you sneezing," he responded.
After a few seconds of silence, Vincy asked:
"Just a quick question... why did you like me? I mean... I'm goofy and loud. You know... someone like Taro is better for you."
"I won't deny Abodo is a great friend... and I respect him too," she explained. "However, even if Yukiko hadn't met him, I still wouldn't choose him. Unlike you, even with your silly nature, I still like you. What I liked the most is your loyalty."
Then, she continued:
"Remember the day you exposed Malice... the female Dark Lord with crow wings? You impressed me that day by mentioning those small details she missed against her. I thought Abodo became different, but you understood everything from the beginning. Pretty sure you'd do the same if the imposter shifted onto me... or anyone you know well, even Yukiko despite how she hated you at first. This shows how you genuinely care about people around you more than anything. Same thing with Abodo, but even with his intelligence in planning, he wouldn't have exposed her that quickly and efficiently."
Vincy was surprised by her long answer. Then, he replied with a smile:
"Sheesh, I never noticed that moment was that special. Well, that's because... hanging around with Taro since kindergarten made me into this. I'm grateful because he's my best bud... and you guys too! Or else... I wouldn't be that Vincy you know today. He didn't hate my personality, and neither did you guys."
After a few seconds, Vincy asked:
"By the way, did you like my new look or the old look the most? You know... before my hair became red and after."
"I didn't really care, because you're the same Vincy I know," she answered, smiling.
"Hehe, thanks," he replied with a big smile, blushing.
Then, they kept chatting for more hours...
Around 11 PM near the park, Taro was heading home after finishing his whole-day shift. Then, he stopped after seeing the big, slimy bubble.
"What is that?" He whispered, confused.
He headed toward it, finding Vincy and Ema inside.
Vincy? Ema? Are they stuck? He wondered.
He put his hand on it, noticing that the bubble felt like a balloon. Instantly, he grabbed a pen from his pocket and popped it.
Seems like it can only be removed from outside, he thought.
He approached them, noticing they were asleep while sitting. Ema's head was propped on Vincy's shoulder.
Better not ruin that moment I guess... Taro thought, smiling.
Then, he headed home after a long day.