"Ne, ne..." she asked, walking through the hills. "Are you seriously not going to tell me what's beyond this hill?"
Shiki just chuckled, which suggested they had all the time in the world. "You'll see."
"That's not an answer." She pouted cutely, puffing her cheeks. "What if it's something stupid? What if it's just a rock shaped like a bird?"
"That's... actually tempting," Shiki replied, looking genuinely perplexed.
"I'll throw Sir Pebblestone at you," Ai growled, her cheeks still puffed as she glared up at the sky.
Shiki smirked. "I'd like to see you try, kitten."
"You're the worst," Ai said before stopping in her tracks. "Wait... you haven't told me your name yet." She glanced up at the sky.
Shiki grinned. "Seriously? We've been talking for so long, and you only just realized?"
Ai frowned, puffing out her cheeks like an annoyed kitten. "I was distracted by your stupid teasing! You keep giving me half-answers and bullying me."
Shiki snorted. "Maybe I just wanted you to ask nicely."
"Voice in the sky, don't test me, I'll—"
"Shiki!"
"Huh?"
"My name's Shiki," he finally revealed, grinning as if he had been waiting for the moment.
She blinked twice. "Shiki..." she repeated, testing how it felt on her lips. "That's... actually cooler than I thought."
"Thanks, kitten."
"No, I mean it," Ai insisted.
"I didn't say you didn't," Shiki teased.
Ai puffed her cheeks again, then asked, "Ne, be, Shiki... Do you want to show me 'you'? Like, actually you?"
Shiki stared at the screen. "You mean... here?"
"Yeah," she replied, her eyes sparkling. "I want to know how you look. Unless..." she teased, "You're hiding because you look like a potato."
"I was waiting for the full nerve gear to release before this, but we'll find out."
In the real world, Shiki wore his VR headset.
A faint light sparkled between them before a figure materialized before her.
Shiki's avatar was something else.
He wore a fitted black adventurer coat lined with silver trim, a deep blue tunic underneath laced at the chest, black gloves with the fingertips cut away, and a leather belt packed with pouches snug around his waist. Sturdy black boots completed the look. Oh, and because anime logic doesn't care about the weather, he had a long, deep red scarf wrapped around his neck, swaying dramatically behind him even though the breeze was barely there.
Ai's jaw dropped, and then she blushed.
His hair in this form was a little longer and messier, but in that effortless cool way that only works in fiction. His eyes appeared sharper, catching the light in a way that made them seem almost unreal. He was taller here too… or maybe it was just the way he carried himself that made him seem that way. Either way, it annoyed her just enough to notice.
"So…" he said, tugging his gloves tighter, "potato?"
"You don't look like a potato," Ai replied, still blushing.
"And?" Shiki pressed.
"…You're… uh… cooler than I thought," she admitted reluctantly. "…And kinda handsome."
He tilted his head. "Kinda?"
"Shut up." She began circling around him like she was inspecting a rare animal. Her gaze traveled up to his broad shoulders, down to his flat but solid chest, his narrow waist, and long legs. "…Okay, seriously, what's with your build? You're all wide here, slim there…" She poked his side, then gestured vaguely at herself. "…And you don't even have these."
"Huh?"
"These…" Ai said, pointing toward her chest.
"That's because I'm a guy and you're a girl," Shiki replied, deadpan.
"...Oh," she said, looking down again at his hips and legs. "Less curves, huh..."
"That's how it works," Shiki snorted.
She stopped, tilting her head as if taking mental notes. "That's unfair. You have this cool thing going on, and I have to move around with this."
"You're comparing weights now?" Shiki teased.
"I'm just saying they get in the way when you run, y'know? And they're heavy. You probably don't have anything that throws off your balance like that."
"…Can't say I do."
She frowned up at him. "Also... why are you so tall? Is that a guy thing too? Or did you cheat?"
"Maybe both."
Her mouth opened in protest, then closed, then opened again. "Wait, so guys are just... built like this? Bigger on top, straighter down below? No curves?"
"Pretty much."
"That's boring," she decided. Then she asked again, "Do you have anything at all that's bigger than girls?"
He almost choked on a laugh. "I am not going to answer that."
She smirked, as if she caught him. "Suspicious."
"You're the one interrogating my body shape."
"It's research," she said firmly, tapping her temple. "You're literally the first guy and person I've ever seen."
"Uh-huh." He leaned down just enough so their eyes almost lined up. "Curious, huh?"
Her cheeks warmed. "Shut up."
"Kitten, you're cute when you get all flustered."
"Stop saying that."
"Why? It's true."
She groaned, "You're smug. And handsome. And it's annoying."
"You keep saying handsome, kitten," Shiki pointed out, smirk deepening.
"I hate you." Ai puffed her cheeks.
"Cute," he interjected.
She blinked. "What?"
"You're a cute kitten," he said as if it were just an everyday observation.
She blushed furiously. "Shut up."
His scarf brushed her cheek as he tilted his head down slightly, the corner of his mouth twitching. "You know, you hug like you mean it."
"Yeah, well..." she mumbled against his coat, "I'm just... really happy, okay? That there's someone real here. Someone I can actually talk to without staring at the sky and wondering if anyone's even listening."
Shiki's smirk faded, replaced by a softer expression. "Glad to be that someone."
She leaned back just enough to look up at him, still gripping his coat as if letting go would make him vanish. "No, I mean it. You feel real."
"Guess that's a good thing."
"It's a great thing," she corrected instantly. Then, as if remembering she was supposed to be annoyed, her eyes narrowed again. "Still smug, though."
"And handsome," he added with a grin.
She groaned and buried her face in his chest, relishing his warmth. "Yes, you are. You're the most handsome guy I have ever seen."
"Cute," he said, teasing her again.
Her cat ears on her hoodie twitched. "I walked right into that."
"Every time," he replied.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
"Aren't you going to let go?" Shiki asked, hugging her back.
"Hmm... You're warm," Ai hummed, ignoring his question.
"Cute," Shiki teased again.
"And you're smug and handsome and really warm," Ai shot back playfully.
Then, slowly and reluctantly, she let go. Looking at him with a blush, she asked, "You're still not going to tell me what's beyond this hill, are you?"
"Let's not spoil it, my kitten. We'll find out soon," Shiki teased.
"Hmm..." Ai nodded as she started walking again.
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END OF CHAPTER : 5 : MEETING HIM!
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