Beta read by Opal and FabledLife
.
.
.
-Midchilda-
(The next day)
"A date?" The words left the redhead's mouth early in the morning, the day after they returned from their mission. His voice was still rough from sleep, his hair sticking out in several directions as he rubbed his eyes and stared at the screen of his device. He had just woken up and was still halfway through his first coherent thought when an unusually energetic Nanoha called him.
"Yes! It's a local, well-known restaurant," she replied cheerfully, her tone bubbling with excitement. "The owner owes me a favor from a while back after I saved him from a large fire years ago, and I decided to cash it in. It's not just any place, either. It's one of those places where you'd normally have to be on a waiting list for months just to get a seat. People say it's among the best in the entire galaxy."
"... The entire galaxy? That's a bit much."
That line caught his attention. It was one thing to claim to be the best restaurant in a country, but to call yourself the best in the galaxy was something else entirely. The scale of it alone made him pause, unable to fully grasp what such confidence implied. He had to admit, his curiosity was instantly hooked.
"Since you arrived, it just dawned on me that we never actually showed you around, so I figured, why not have both of us go there for once?" Nanoha continued, her voice softening slightly. "Usually, I'm fine eating at home or grabbing lunch with Hayate and Fate in the cafeteria, but this seemed like a good chance to show you another side of Midchilda. There's more to see than just the usual routes you've explored and the dozens of different training simulation islands. I don't want you to think we are living inside a military camp; there is plenty of fun stuff to explore."
So she said, and he knew she was right because he had gone sightseeing for a bit. Whether it be with Lutecia, Fate, or even with Subaru —most of it happened in the city center. The planet was as big as Earth, so there were plenty of different places to explore.
"That's a good idea," he replied, suppressing a yawn as he reached for the coffee pot. Pouring himself a mug of coffee and a cup of hot chocolate for Lutecia, who sat quietly at the table, watching him in silence.
"Great! I'll text you the address. The reservations for the evening are right after I finish my shift. We'll meet there, okay?" Her enthusiasm practically radiated through the call, and before he could respond, she had already ended it. He smiled faintly and wished her a good day before setting the device down.
With that matter settled, he placed both cups and two plates on the table. Each had toast, fried eggs, a piece of grilled mackerel, and some rice. Nothing too fancy or heavy since last night they had a feast with most members of the team being present.
"Vivio's not joining us for breakfast?" he asked, noticing the absence of two certain blonde girls.
"She had to leave with Fate early this morning for a medical check-up," Lutecia answered in her usual dry tone, barely looking up from her food. He nodded, accepting the explanation. "Are you going somewhere?" she asked after a short silence, glancing up at him curiously.
"Nanoha invited me to dinner tonight," he replied without much thought.
"A date?" she asked, her voice filled with sudden interest. "Like the one between two couples dating?"
"I don't know what else is there to compare, but yes, something like that," he said, scratching the back of his neck. "Don't worry, it'll only be for about an hour or two at most. I'll be back before bedtime. Subaru and Teana will drop by to check on you and Vivio."
"I have the feeling you won't be coming back until morning," she remarked flatly.
"—!"
He nearly choked on his drink, coughing as he stared at her in disbelief. For a moment, he wasn't sure if she actually understood what she had just implied, or if she was simply repeating something she'd overheard.
"N-No, nothing like tha—cough! Nothing like that," he managed to say quickly. "It's just dinner. I'll be back before you know it."
He went along well with Nanoha, but he doubted it was to that extent. They had kissed, sure, but just a simple first date to a restaurant wouldn't lead to that… he was sure of it. 'I am getting paranoid for no reason, being a couple means more than that, I need to get my head out of the gutter.'
At that moment, the boy felt like he was back in his late teenage years in Fuyuki all over again. Having similar thoughts occasionally popped up whenever he was around Sakura…
"That's not what the couple in the TV show did," she said matter-of-factly, tilting her head slightly.
"Perhaps I should set some restrictions on what you're watching," he sighed, frowning as he turned toward her. "I don't like the kind of shows you're picking lately."
"I hid the TV remote," she replied calmly, her expression perfectly neutral as she took another bite of her breakfast.
"..."
'For a society capable of space travel, they sure are behind on simple things like television,' Shirou thought, letting out a faint sigh. "Hah, is she entering her rebellious phase now?" He wasn't entirely sure how to handle it, finally starting to understand how the old man must have felt years ago. Then again, he couldn't recall ever having a rebellious phase himself, so he wasn't sure how Kiritsugu could have handled him if that were the case.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Lutecia's voice broke his thoughts. She raised an eyebrow, her unusually sharp gaze fixed on him with suspicion. Uncertain why she was staring at him like that, the redhead tilted his head and made a random guess.
"I think, no, I'm quite sure I already did the grocery shopping."
"No, not that."
"Did I have a training session planned with Subaru and Teana?"
"Nope."
Not even that? Nothing was coming to mind aside from the desire to go back to bed and sleep for a few more hours. This situation started to feel oddly familiar, like dealing with a certain former guardian of his whenever she got in a sour mood. "Uh… happy birthday?"
She crossed her arms in front of her chest, forming an X. "Wrong again."
Why was this turning into some sort of game? Then again, Lutecia wouldn't keep him guessing if it were something truly serious. Shirou scratched his cheek and sighed. "I genuinely have no idea what I forgot," he admitted, deciding to focus on his breakfast instead. He expected something minor, maybe a promise to buy her something he'd forgotten, but he was fairly certain he hadn't made such a promise. So, he waited.
"Didn't you have another date scheduled today with Hayate?"
"..."
The spoon froze halfway to his mouth, his entire body locking up as every thought in his head ground to a halt. Two seconds passed. Three. The silence that followed was almost deafening. He prayed he had misheard her, that she was simply teasing him.
Somehow, the person in front of him was able to guess what was going on in his mind.
"You actually forgot… didn't you?" Lutecia's tone carried a playful edge, pouring more oil into the fire. Any trace of drowsiness vanished from him instantly. His eyes widened as the truth hit him; she was right. He did have plans with Hayate. They were supposed to go to the movies together.
"Shit," he muttered, not realizing he'd said it out loud. Lutecia looked at him with amused satisfaction, continuing to munch on her breakfast.
"You did forget," she said between bites, "strange since you were talking about it all afternoon yesterday. Maybe I should start asking you for anything when you're half asleep from now on."
"How did I forget this?" He groaned, face-palming hard enough that it almost hurt. The memory of his last conversation with the brunette resurfaced, the talk they'd had after landing on Earth. Then he remembered what Nanoha had mentioned earlier this morning, and the realization deepened his regret.
"It's not that bad," the girl in front of him remarked casually. "You can just cancel one outing with one of them and have it happen some other time. I'm sure they wouldn't mind, maybe. But I'm sure they'll be a bit disappointed at the end of the day."
"Not helping."
"My point still stands."
"I… I can't do that," he replied immediately, then cleared his throat after catching her narrowed eyes. "I made a promise to Hayate that I'd spend time with her and help her relax for once. She helped me a lot yesterday. Without her, I would have lost something important."
He remembered fiddling with the gem all night, trying to draw some kind of response from it. Even after pouring his magical energy into it, the gem remained inert. It didn't behave like the others he'd used before; it refused to store energy like how Rin showed him, refused to resonate, refused to reveal anything. The lack of reaction only deepened his confusion as to what purpose it could have served her and why it got here. Still, it was thanks to Hayate's intervention that he had managed to keep it in his possession.
Even if it served no purpose, he wanted to keep it close as the sole reminder of reality, like a connection.
"I can't cancel. I owe her too much to go back on my word," he said quietly again, reaffirming his prior decision.
Lutecia raised a brow. "Then cancel the appointment with Nanoha."
"Easier said than done," he replied with a weary sigh. "She's been looking forward to this. She even managed to reserve a table at one of the most prestigious restaurants in the galaxy, in her own words. It apparently takes months to get a seat there, and she called in a favor to do it. If I cancel now, it won't just disappoint her — it'll make her look bad in front of the people who arranged it."
He leaned back in his chair, staring at his untouched meal with a tired expression. One part of him wished the ground would just open up and solve the problem for him, but knowing his luck, he'd have to face this mess head-on.
Truthfully, this felt like a genuine conundrum, and Shirou was already running through every possible solution in his head that could help him resolve both issues without disappointing either party. "I got it!" A small wave of inspiration struck him, and he lightly smacked his fist into his open palm. "The movie starts earlier than my appointment with Nanoha. I can watch most of it without much issue, with Hayate, then get changed and head straight to the restaurant. Even if I have to sprint between places, I can make it. I just need to move fast and stay on schedule."
It was close, a matter of minutes, but the window between them was apart enough to give him some wiggle room.
"This is a bad idea," the girl in front of him said bluntly, shaking her head before he could even finish explaining. "I don't know Hayate that well, but she will get the wrong idea if you try to leave as soon as the movie is finished. Are you even sure this will work? Because I don't think it will."
"I've got some confidence in myself at the very least," he replied, half-smiling with stubborn optimism. "I won't just be leaving without saying a word to Hayate. I can come up with an excuse. The plan is simple enough. A two-hour movie and a dinner happening right after the other, if I keep track carefully, I'll be able to attend both. It's just about managing time, and I get to keep my promise to both people."
"That's not exactly what I'm trying to warn you about," she said with a sigh, giving him a look that blended concern and exasperation. "But if you're that sure of yourself, I'll trust you."
He appreciated her words, even if he knew deep down it was his fault for forgetting about the original arrangement. Still, a small breath of relief escaped him. At least he could keep his word until the end, no matter how difficult it turned out to be.
.
.
.
(A few hours later)
Aside from that small episode of doubt earlier, the rest of the day had gone smoothly. Shirou spent most of his free time tidying up the house and catching up on chores he had put off for too long. The quiet rhythm of the afternoon felt oddly peaceful, though it also left him wondering where Fate and Vivio had gone off to. Neither had returned yet, and their absence tugged at his curiosity, but there wasn't much time to dwell on it. The movie time was drawing near, and he was already dressed and ready to head out to meet Hayate.
Lutecia had just been lounging around the living room the entire day and playing around with some of her summoned insects, taking the time to relax after the mission.
"Hm?"
His phone began ringing just as he was slipping on his jacket. Glancing at the screen, he saw Nanoha's name flashing on the caller ID. Curious, he picked up immediately.
"Hey, I'm just about to leave," he said in a confident tone. "Don't worry, I'll be there on time."
"Um… well, actually… hahaha, funny story actually." Nanoha replied, her voice carrying a hint of apology, "There's been a small change of plans. Apparently, there was a mix-up with the reservation. The owner got the time wrong, and we were supposed to be there two hours earlier than we thought."
"What?" Shirou's voice was filled with disbelief and a creeping sense of dread. Was it a joke? He really hoped so; never had the man ever imagined desperately wishing that this was just another one of her teasing attempts.
"Exactly!" Nanoha sounded as exasperated as she must have thought he felt. "I barely managed to wrap up my work early enough to make it. Thankfully, that's all done now. Since you're already ready, I figured it wouldn't be that big of a problem. I was worried you wouldn't be able to make it, and I'd have to postpone everything. Unless… you can't get there now?"
At first, the words 'sorry' nearly came out of his mouth, wanting to make an excuse and possibly postpone this meeting for another time. Only for him to bite his tongue at the last second and shut up.
"Shirou?"
"N-No, it's fine. I'll be there," he said quickly. But the moment he ended the call, regret hit him like a wave. He wanted nothing more than to punch himself for sharing too much earlier. His situation had gone from mildly inconvenient to completely impossible in the space of a minute.
The line went dead, leaving him staring blankly at the phone screen. His thoughts scattered in every direction, his expression empty, but his mind racing. Checking the time only made it worse; the movie started around the same time, maybe even ten minutes earlier. Hayate had already sent him the location, complete with photos of her waiting.
He started pacing back and forth, mind spinning as he tried to think of some miracle that could let him keep both promises. He was putting more thought into this than anything he'd done since arriving in this world, to the point his head began to ache with the effort.
Crunch.
The sound pulled his attention sideways. Lutecia was sitting on the couch, casually munching chips while watching him, her expression making it painfully clear what she was thinking. Her eyes said everything — an obvious, silent "I told you so."
"Hold on," he muttered suddenly, pausing mid-step. "I have an idea."
He turned slowly toward the purple-haired girl. She blinked in confusion, sensing something unpleasant was about to involve her. "Yes?" she asked cautiously, already dreading whatever came next.
"Do you want to watch a movie with me?"
{Break}
There have been many things Hayate dreaded in her life and wished to avoid at all costs. Having to share an office with Regius for an entire year, finding a stack of paperwork on her desk, or even just waking up several hours late for work.
But the last thing she expected to be horrified about was being confronted by several of her close friends in such a manner. "Can't believe this is happening. I already told you, Signum, this is not a date." These words left Hayate's lips as she sighed and massaged her forehead, facing a few members of the Wolkenritter. Who, for some reason, was curious about her activities and decided to follow her not so secretly while wearing the most ridiculous disguises picked by Zwei.
Especially a certain pink-haired knight who had a trenchcoat on.
"We were just curious what changed from that earlier mission to make you behave so differently than your usual self. Also, you spent hours asking us which clothes looked better on you; you should have expected this."
As hard as it was to admit it… Signum had a point.
"You should have told us about this much earlier, Hayate." The second voice came sharply from Vita, who stood beside her fellow Wolkenritter in a simple white shirt and blue shorts that, from afar, made her look like any other child. "You have never had a boyfriend, not even a proper date. The closest thing that comes to mind is when Fate dragged you to that carnival or that one time Chrono invited you to that party."
"That was not a date at all! And he invited every other colleague to that event, so there is no need to even mention that." Also, she was pretty sure that the man was more interested in Nanoha than herself… she wondered if anyone had already told him of what had happened recently. She did not want to be the one to convey the news to him if there were really any intentions of pursuing Nanoha.
"And for you to choose Shirou of all people," Signum spoke quietly under her breath, wearing a complicated look that shifted between concern and understanding. "I cannot think of anything truly troubling about him. Even I can tell he is not a person with malicious intentions, a capable fighter, so he can keep you safe, at least in principle, and he does seem like a decent man. But all of that is still debatable until I confirm it myself. The whole situation needs proper evaluation."
"Yeah, like she said," Vita said while Zafira nodded quietly. "Let me try to smack him around a couple of times with my hammer. If he's still willing to go after you and can beat me in the process, which I highly doubt, most of you will get my approval."
"What are you, my mother? And for your information, Shirou's quite the capable mage himself. I don't know about beating you, but he sure will not let himself be smacked around by your hammer. Also, I wouldn't let you do that at any point since we are not dating!"
"Yet!" Zwei added mischievously, most definitely enjoying everything that was happening at the moment.
"Please do not start this. I wanted a day off without dealing with any of this nonsense," Hayate muttered, her frustration slipping easily into her tone. "And like I said earlier, this is not a date. I am just spending time with him. It is nothing more than that. Not an actual date."
Her insistence accomplished nothing. Instead, it only seemed to heighten the curiosity burning in the three knights' expressions.
"Then why are you wearing such nice clothes?" the red-headed Wolkenritter asked immediately, her eyes narrowing as if she had uncovered some critical clue in an investigation.
"That is not up to you to decide. I am free to wear what I want, Vita."
"That is not the behaviour of someone who claims this is not a date." The girl crossed her arms, looking entirely too satisfied with her accusation.
Hayate's eye twitched. Annoyance and growing irritation spread through her as if every comment they made pressed against an invisible bruise. Being questioned so intensely before she even stepped outside was the last thing she wanted. "Even if this was a date, what does it matter to all of you? I am not a little girl anymore. I can make my own decisions without being supervised."
"It is our duty to protect you," Signum replied at once, her voice steady and unwavering. "We are not telling you that you cannot date him. We simply need to evaluate him further and see if he is worthy of you."
"He is already in a relationship with Nanoha," Hayate said plainly, watching as every pair of eyes in the room widened at the revelation. Vita's mouth fell open, her shock so obvious it nearly looked comical.
"What the hell, Hayate!? You are going after a man who is already taken? Are you his side chic—" Vita barely managed to ask the question before Hayate's arm moved in irritation, cutting off the next round of disbelief forming on Vita's face. Covering the latter's mouth while several people around were looking at them weirdly.
"Go. Away. Now. That's an order." She rarely used such a commanding tone with them, but at this moment, she truly felt like she had no other choice but to do it.
"Hah… fine, we didn't mean to get in your way or anything like that. We just want to make sure that you are happy and you're not going to do anything you might regret." Signum added after some moment of silence. Hayate appreciated her concern, thus making her smile in return.
"I'm doing fine, and I'm glad you are looking out for me. But it's for the best that you let me handle this on my own."
The group looked at one another before nodding along together, one by one walking away, and finally giving the brunette some space. Signum, being the last one to walk away, not before leaving her with some parting words. "If things do not go well, if you don't get what you may have wished for, just know that we are always here for you."
"I know." She answered, knowing full well just how true those words were.
These people could be quite eccentric with their own safety at times, even after years, some habits remained the same. She did not hate it and was grateful for them.
Thankfully, he did not arrive around the time they were talking to her, or else it would have been very complicated to explain the details to the boy without being embarrassed.
Truthfully, Hayate hadn't planned anything beyond a simple outing. Her invitation held no hidden intent; she just wanted to spend some time with him, something that had become rare these days. Fate practically lived in the same apartment complex, given how often she visited Shirou, and since both he and Nanoha were in a relationship, she sometimes felt like the dynamics between them had frozen in place. There was a polite distance that hadn't gone away. They were cordial and friendly enough, but it felt more like the mutual respect between coworkers or a superior and her subordinate. She didn't like that and hoped to change it by doing something light-hearted and easy.
It crossed her mind that this looked an awful lot like a date, though there was no rule that said colleagues or friends couldn't see a movie together. Still, she found herself overthinking it. 'Maybe I should've asked Nanoha's permission, just to be safe,' she muttered quietly. Nanoha had once said she wanted to spend a day hanging out with them both, but she'd never mentioned when. 'It probably would've been better if I had invited her along, too. And Fate as well. It's been ages since the three of us went out together.' Zwie had been right; she'd buried herself too deep in work lately. Maybe this break was long overdue.
A few minutes later did she received a message from him, notifying her of his arrival, which made her look around to finally spot the redhead walking towards her while waving his hand.
"...Shirou?" It took a few seconds for her to realize who it was, for the person was wearing a large hoodie with his lower face mostly hidden with a mask, waving as if this were just another day.
'Did he get sick?'
What she hadn't expected, though, was that their little outing wouldn't just be the two of them. And even more surprising was who Shirou had brought along, a young girl Hayate recognized instantly, someone who had once worked under Jail. "Lutecia?" she said again, blinking in surprise.
"Hello," the little one greeted with a small nod. She wore a dark-themed dress that Hayate could tell wasn't Shirou's choice. It suited Fate's taste far more, reminding her of how the blonde had dressed in her early days. "Don't mind me. He was the one who brought me along." Lutecia wasted no time pointing directly at the boy behind her and ratting him out. The latter smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.
"Hahaha, sorry about that. It's been a while since I've taken her out anywhere, and she wanted to spend some time together as well—ouch!" He winced when the girl promptly stomped on his foot, earning a small laugh from Hayate at his expense.
A bit confused about what was going on, she found it funny regardless.
Now that she thought about it, perhaps this was exactly why he did not mind when she mentioned the outing. Bringing Lutecia along might have been his subtle way of keeping things comfortable, of avoiding any awkward impression between the two of them. It was a considerate move, and she appreciated that. She clasped her hands together and smiled warmly. "I'm glad you brought her along! The more the merrier. And now that I think about it, it's been a while since we last hung out, Lutecia. I hope you haven't forgotten about me," she teased, ruffling the girl's hair.
Lutecia smiled brightly. "I think so too. Thank you for having me."
"It's no trouble at all," Hayate said cheerfully. "Now then, let's go watch the movie! It's one of my favorites!" With that, she grabbed both of them by the hand and led the way inside. Her usual commander-like composure melted into something lighter, almost childlike, as she pulled them through the lobby toward the screening hall. After a bit of searching, they found ideal seats at the very back. Being a commander did come with its perks; she didn't even have to pay since the Space-Time Administration Bureau covered it under leisure allowances.
"Well, this looks familiar," Shirou commented once they sat down, glancing around at the theater's interior.
"Midchilda has people from so many different planets," Hayate replied, speaking between bites of popcorn. "Some of the locals try to recreate parts of their home worlds here. This cinema belongs to someone from Earth, so they designed it to feel the same. Aside from the projection technology, it's practically identical to what you'd find back home."
Lutecia sat quietly beside her, sipping one of her many drinks while the theatre lights dimmed and the screen brightened with the first trailers. "By the way, were Signum and Vita outside the cinema just now?" The moment she asked, Hayate's face tightened with an awkward look that settled across her features like an uncomfortable veil.
"Sorry, did they ask you too many questions? I told them it was just a simple outing."
"No, nothing like that. I think it is good that they care about you," he answered.
"Yes, but sometimes they care a bit too much. I cannot blame them, but there are moments when I feel like they still see me as a young child who cannot stand on her own. Back then, I really was fragile, but I am not the same person anymore, and I am no longer a vase that needs to be hidden away."
"I am pretty sure Signum was about to challenge me to something with the looks she was giving me earlier."
That earned a laugh from Hayate, a small one but genuine enough to ease the tension around her shoulders. "She most likely did. Do not mind her. She will get over it once she convinces herself I am not about to collapse."
Just as the movie was about to start, Shirou stood up, much to her confusion. "Sorry, I will be right back for a moment."
Hayate nodded and watched him walk off, then sank deeper into her seat with a slow exhale. Even if the start of the evening had been scattered and a little messy, it had come together well enough. With him stepping away for a minute, she figured there was no point in letting her nerves spin up again. She tried to close her mind and simply enjoy the atmosphere. Maybe Zwei was right earlier. She did need a moment to settle herself and just breathe.
As she drifted in her thoughts, the theatre grew quieter around her. At the edge of her sight, she saw a familiar figure returning and taking the seat beside her without a word, posture relaxed as the movie's first title card appeared. "By the way, have you seen this movie before? It is one they got from Earth, and it was supposed to be quite popu—eh?"
Her sentence stopped when something appeared right in front of her face. Lutecia extended her soda with a quiet whisper. "I cannot drink all of it. You have it."
Taken aback, Hayate blinked several times before accepting it without protest. Only after wrapping her fingers around the cup did she realize it was still more than half full. Unable to resist, she glanced down at the girl, whose lap held an impressive collection of snacks and drinks, almost a dozen in total. She wondered why Lutecia had bought so much if she could not even finish a single cup. After thinking it through, she decided it was probably just excitement, the kind that made someone her age want to try a bit of everything.
She gave a quiet chuckle and took a sip while settling her gaze back on the screen. The film began to play, and she relaxed beside her company, unaware that the hooded figure seated next to her had not moved or spoken at all.
Within the hood, no strands of auburn hair peeked like before from the person who had gone to the restroom moments earlier, but a shiny black exoskeleton belonging to a humanoid insectoid wearing identical clothing, its posture perfectly still as it glanced toward its summoner. The latter, giving a subtle gesture for the creature to stay silent and remain unnoticed, as the theatre filled fully with the glow of the opening scene.
{Break}
(Outside the theatre)
"Garyu is in place, target is distracted." Luticia's voice came through Shirou's earpiece while he sprinted across the street, pulling in sharp breaths as he wore a vest around him.
"Good. Just make sure she doesn't glance toward my supposed position too much."
"Don't worry, I have it handled. I expect ample compensation after this." Her voice carried a dry note that made him smile wryly despite his hurried pace.
"Anything you want. This is just a one-time thing, I promise." He meant it, though a faint stab of guilt still crawled up his spine. Leaving a body double behind was hardly a noble choice. He knew that. Yet with everything happening at once, it was the only plan that made sense, and if Hayate could enjoy herself without tension for a while, then he could live with the discomfort. If his time with Nanoha ended earlier than he hoped, he could slip back and make it seem like he had never left in the first place. Besides, he trusted Lutecia to keep the illusion steady for at least an hour.
Now dressed in fresh clothes and smoothing out his hair, Shirou reached the restaurant Nanoha had mentioned, not so far away from the theater, still far enough that he needed to spring to get there. He halted just outside the entrance, momentarily stunned by the scale of the building. "...Wow." The place stretched as wide as a full shopping mall, complete with grand lights, polished floors, and cars that gleamed like freshly cut gemstones rolling up to the curb. Every guest stepped out in tailored suits or dresses meant for formal galas, and the weight of their presence made him feel slightly misplaced.
"Eh… did I go to the wrong address?" Checking the information he got once again, this did seem to be the place. Yet he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed already without even having taken a step inside.
"Shirou!"
His name rang across the entryway, having him turn around just in time to catch sight of the brunette weaving toward him, and he froze for a heartbeat when the full view of her dress settled in his vision. Nanoha wore a deep crimson gown, similar in color to the one from the auction, but this one hugged her figure in a more refined way. Small flecks of glitter caught the lights overhead, giving the fabric a gentle shimmer every time she moved. Her smile brightened the room as she waved, which earned more than a few curious looks from nearby guests.
"Sorry, I'm late. I needed a few last-minute preparations," Shirou said, returning her hug once she reached him. She went still in his arms, something that made him pull back a little in confusion. "Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing like that." She shook her head quickly and gave him a warm smile. "I'm just surprised to see you dressed so formally. It suits you much more than you think… You should try it more often. It's like I'm talking to a completely different person." She stepped closer and adjusted the collar of his shirt before studying his eyes and hair. Her hand brushed upward, guiding his hair back with simple motions. "There. Now you look like a proper dashing man."
She stepped aside and handed him a small mirror from her purse. When he glanced into it, the man nearly winced. The reflection staring back at him resembled a familiar heroic spirit with a judgmental expression that seemed to say he had no idea what he was doing. His smile tightened before he forced it into something lighter.
"Thanks. It looks… nice," he said, and he tried to sound as natural as possible, leaving the air as they were without changing it back to its previous self. It was just for this moment, nothing permanent, and she seemed to like it.
"All right then, that settles it. Do not just stay outside, come in. You will love it, it is beautiful." She said it while pulling him along with enough enthusiasm that he nearly tripped on the polished floor. Her grip tightened, urging him forward until he finally matched her pace, and the two of them passed into the grand interior she had spoken about with such certainty.
Just as she mentioned, the inside was far more extravagant than he ever expected. Chandeliers the size of small cars shimmered above them, each one carved with intricate crystal patterns that reflected the warm glow drifting through the hall. Golden light painted the marble tiles in gentle streaks. The hallway stretched so far that it felt like the building was challenging him to find its end, and each towering pillar was covered from top to bottom with elaborate carvings that mixed alien motifs with classical designs. A faint melody of classical music drifted around them, soft enough not to overwhelm the senses yet clear enough to fill the space with an inviting atmosphere.
"How is this place even overbooked if it is this big? You could fit the entire population of Fuyuki in here." The thought escaped him aloud before he fully processed it.
"Do not forget what I told you. It is one of the most popular places in the galaxy, so people from distant worlds travel here just to visit." Her tone carried a hint of pride, as if she had personally influenced its reputation. Rather than feeling impressed, he found himself struck by an unexpected wave of sympathy. He imagined the chefs working behind the scenes, juggling orders from visitors scattered across countless planets. A part of him could not help but grow curious about the kitchen itself, picturing it as a maze of counters, pans, machines, and ingredients sourced from half the universe.
"I do not suppose they will let me take a peek?" he wondered silently while they walked.
Before long, the two of them reached their table. A neatly dressed waiter was already waiting for them, greeting them with a polite smile and a welcoming gesture that felt almost rehearsed. Once they sat down, she leaned closer and studied his expression with a sharper focus than before.
"Is it just me, or do you seem different than usual?" The question froze him in place. A bead of sweat formed on his forehead, tracing its way down from his earlier run while he tried to think of an answer that would not sound suspicious.
"Um… n-not sure what you mean by that. If I look nervous to you, then it may be because of the overall environment of this place. I tend to become kind of nervous."
A hum escaped her lips as she then shook her head. "No, not that. You just look quite tired. Did you seriously actually run all the way here? Why not just take the bus or get a ride?" Her eyes narrowed slightly, worried rather than accusatory.
He had taken a bus, but only to reach the theatre earlier. After that, he ran across several blocks to avoid losing more time. "I just did not want to keep you waiting too long." He managed to produce the answer with a casual tone that he hoped sounded convincing. It appeared to be enough, judging by the way her expression eased.
"Sorry if this place seems a bit too bougie. I was searching for the perfect place, and nothing felt right. I had several ideas, but none of them clicked, and this one showed up out of nowhere, so I figured I should go with it."
"Were you worried that I would be disappointed or something?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.
"Kind of?" She took a moment before giving her answer. "I was... I just wanted to impress you, I guess."
The urge to chuckle at that statement grew as he heard that part. The moment he first met her already impressed him more than enough; that memory of an entire city-wide area getting obliterated would forever remain burned in his mind.
But he figured that giving such an answer would only serve as teasing material, given how much she did not like having that subject brought up. So he figured giving her a more straightforward answer would suffice. "I am someone who is easy to impress. You do not need to bring me somewhere extravagant to prove anything. Honestly, just spending time with me is enough for me to forget most of my problems and enjoy the moment." He meant it, and his voice reflected that truth, at least he hoped so.
"That is sweet." She gave a small smile, one that softened her features noticeably. "To tell you the truth, I was nervous these past few days. Nervous that maybe I rushed things with all of this without actually hearing your side, and I do not really have a plan."
"What plans? Fate was right, you really do think about battle the entire time." Shirou said with a chuckle, he could no longer hold back.
The comment earned a small gasp from her. She stared at him with disbelief before finding her voice. "What is that supposed to mean?"
In return, he simply grinned. "You heard me. You are treating this like a mission. I am hardly an expert myself, and this is my first time, too, but even I can tell that you do not need to strategize this early. Take your time. The world is not ending tomorrow. If things work out, great. If they do not, at least we tried."
That seemed to calm her down as she proceeded to take a seat back down while huffing. "But I do want things to go well. I just do not want to do something that makes it impossible in the long run."
"What do you mean by that?" He leaned slightly forward, curiosity replacing the earlier tension.
Nanoha grew visibly nervous, which confused him since she always gave him the impression of being someone quite blunt with everything she had in her heart. So for her to hesitate was definitely a first. "Say, Shirou… Let us say that in the future, someone else fell in love with you. What would you do?"
The question caught him off guard, although he did not dismiss it. After a brief moment of thought that lasted less than a second, he answered with a straight face. "I would politely decline her feelings."
"Really?"
He shrugged and tried to keep his tone light. "I mean, what is there to be surprised about? I already have you. Taking an interest in someone else would feel unfair to you, and it would be wrong on my part anyway."
She tapped a finger against her chin. "What if it was someone very close to both of us, someone we both cherish to some degree?"
Close to both of them. That line landed with an unexpected tone, and a specific face pushed itself into his thoughts before he could stop it. He frowned. "Hold on. Are you saying that either Subaru or Teana has a crush on me?" He asked it with clear disbelief, because he had never once caught even the slightest hint of that from either of them. They were close, they were friendly, they argued and teamed up with him all the time, but nothing in their behaviour had ever suggested anything romantic. His reaction, bewildered as it was, only made Nanoha burst out laughing.
"Pft-hahahaha!"
Her cheerful laugh carried across the room and made him realise that perhaps his assumption was nowhere near the truth. "Oh? Those two? That is interesting. I do think they both get along well with you, but even I do not think they see you in that way. At least not yet." She said with a mirthful tone.
"Oi. What is that 'not yet' supposed to mean?"
She raised her brows. "Does no one else come to mind?"
He stared for a moment and answered with a deadpan tone. "I want to say Quattro, but both of us know that would be a lie."
Nanoha rolled her eyes with a tired sort of frustration. "She definitely wants something from you, and I do not think she is even trying to hide her intentions. But no, she is not who I was talking about. Let us think about this in a purely hypothetical way. For example, what if Fate had feelings for you, too?"
"Fate?" He repeated the blonde's name with real disbelief and immediately shook his head. "Impossible." He said it with so much certainty that Nanoha actually blinked, caught off guard by how firm he sounded. Since she looked confused, he continued. "I admit that we get along well, but that is all. I do not see her being interested in falling for me. I do not even think I am her type."
For some reason, the smile on her face grew even more, touched by a faint mischievous glimmer that moved across her eyes. "Is that so? Then tell me, Shirou. What do you think her type is?"
He had no idea how to even answer that, given that anything he said would purely be speculative. "I… I would guess someone very accomplished in TSAB? Maybe someone is already deep in the same career path as her. Someone stable and settled. As you can see, I still need time to get a foothold here; my future is hanging in the air, I do not know how long I will be staying, and I have no idea how far I could go if I continued working under the Time Space Administrative Bureau. I doubt many people in the higher ranks even trust me fully. I do not see Fate being interested in me at all. But I do think she sees me as a friend at the very least."
To his surprise, Nanoha actually pouted. "The more I listen to you, the more I feel you are overestimating Fate and her supposed taste in men. And speaking of that, did you ever hear the rumour that Fate and I were actually together?"
He nearly choked on his drink. "Really?"
"Yes. Plenty of people tried to approach her, and as you can guess, every single one of them was politely turned down. She always kept her distance from most men in TSAB. Meanwhile, the people she spent the most time with were me and Hayate. At one point, it was not even a secret that Fate and I shared a room. That was all it took for the rumours to spread across half the base."
"I guess people will gossip regardless of which world I end up in." He muttered the words under his breath while sitting on the opposite end of the table. The Clocktower came to mind, a place that carried a completely different atmosphere compared to the TSAB in this world. Even with so many types of people studying and working there, gossip still moved through the halls with the same stubborn energy as ever, and Luvia happened to be the biggest magnet for such things.
"But you see, lately these rumours have started to shift a bit. People noticed how she spends more time with you. Some even found out she visits your apartment almost every day. You can imagine how the old rumours about Fate and me being in a relationship changed. Now people have decided that she suddenly has a new love interest and has already started living together with him."
"What? Shouldn't people be more concerned with saving the galaxy and handling world-level threats at this point?" He asked with a tone caught somewhere between disbelief and irritation.
She gave a small laugh, the sort that came naturally to her. "Even now, our organisation has moments like these. We are human after all, not machines."
"Does she know about these rumours?"
"Of course she does." She answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
This was bad. A heavy weight settled in his stomach as he realised how thoughtless the situation had become. He felt genuinely horrible leaving her to deal with such nonsense. Fate only visited his place because Vivio got along so well with Lutecia. The idea that she would now be dragged into annoying assumptions just because she made sure Vivio was doing well made him feel worse. "I should be apologising to her for all of this," he said under his breath. Nanoha shook her head gently.
"You do not understand, Shirou."
"What do you mean?"
"Like I said before, Fate may be more open than she used to be, but she is still a very reserved person. She only opens her heart fully to a small group of people. She never talked about the rumours except by smiling them away. She does not ask someone else to look after Vivio. She does it herself. She does not feel uncomfortable staying the night if it becomes necessary, and she cooks for you regularly without hesitation. Do you not find any of this a little unusual when you think about it more clearly?"
He supposed she had a point. As he tried to piece his thoughts together. But before he could look deeper into it, his earpiece rang loudly enough to cut through every other concern. His attention shifted, and the redhead immediately focused on it, because only one person would call him through his earpiece.
"We have trouble. Hayate is trying to go to the bathroom, and I had to unsummon Garyu to avoid being seen. I already told her you went back to buy more snac—" Anything else she planned to say was cut off as the connection disconnected without warning.
His pulse spiked with sudden worry. For a moment, he felt his chest tighten as if something had gone very wrong. He stood up too fast, leaving Nanoha staring in brief confusion. "Sorry, I think I must have dropped something from my pocket. I will be right back!" He said the words quickly and walked off without waiting for a reply.
.
.
.
"Hah… hah… hah!" Running back to the cinema at full speed was not exactly a challenge, but it still drained a lot of his stamina and energy as he used reinforcement to strengthen his legs. Only for him to come to an immediate stop as a black car suddenly came to a stop not so far ahead of him. "—!"
The windows rolled down to show Fate of all people staring back at him. "Eh, Shirou? Why are you running so quickly? Did something happen?"
In the entirety of Midchilda, the boy started to wonder why he had to come across her of all people in this specific spot and this particular time. It was like fate itself started to wish for his downfall at this point. "Oh, I… I uh, I just remembered there was some last minute shopping I needed to do."
Even he could see just how ridiculously bad that excuse even was.
"Is that so?" Somehow, Fate seemed to accept his answer. "I can give you a ride, oh, and you can come with me to pick up Vivio… maybe we can swing by your apartment to pick up Lutecia and the four of us can hang out? As a way to celebrate your first mission outside this planet, Vivio would also love to be with her best friend. I wanted to ask you this morning but it slipped my mind for some reason."
"..."
He already made a major mistake early on this morning on accepting Nanoha's invitation and not recalling his prior schedule with Hayate. Now, there was absolutely no way he could change up his plans even further, it had become a complete mess already! "Sorry… maybe next time? I can't for today, but I'll make sure to call you when I'm free! I have to leave now, it's important!" As bad as it was to run away, this was his only solution to the matter and he swore to make it up for her later on. The world around him turned into a blur until he finally came to his destination and just so happened to see the girl looking around, trying to find something or someone.
"Shirou?" She saw him, tilting her head over so slightly with confusion. "Is something wrong? Why do you look so tired? And did you change your clothes?"
If his state when meeting Nanoha was bad, then now his entire shirt was covered in sweat. And he forgot about the entire clothes part!
"Oh, it's nothing. Had a small argument with someone who then threw water on me, and then figured that it would be best for me to just head outside to one of the nearby shops and get myself something that won't be sticky. It was quite far and I had to run."
"I see… but Lutecia mentioned you went out to get yourself some snacks. Did you meet that person over there? That is not appropriate behaviour, lead me to them and I will make sure they apologise."
Still out of breath, it did not take long for him to realise his blunder and just proceed to smack himself on the head. "Damn it! I must have forgotten it on the counter. Head back to the movie without me. I'll be fetching it and returning in a minute. And there is no need to go that far, we already talked things out and realized it was just a simple misunderstanding hahaha…"
She did not seem convinced at first, but he just kept a composed face without revealing much and thankfully enough it worked. "... Okay."
Relieved by her answer, the boy used that moment to think about his next step more carefully. "That bought me some time. But I can't just leave Nanoha all alone back there… Lutecia will cover me. I should end that date as fast as possible, there is still an hour of the movie left!" He proceeded to go back to his previous location right after seeing Hayate walk back into the movies. Once again pushing himself to his limits in order to arrive several minutes after back at the restaurant, but this time, he was met with an empty table. With Nanoha nowhere to be seen at all.
"N-anoha!" He called out with a trembling tone, looking around to find where she had gone, only to find no sign whatsoever of the woman. "Did she leave?"
He looked around to find her and saw not a trace of the woman. Soon, his chaotic thoughts started to simmer down until he realised that she must have left. And calling her did not help him in the least for she was not picking up. With a heavy heart, Shirou slowly walked outside before having his back rested against the wall and slid down till he was on his butt. Tired both physically and mentally, it dawned on him just how disastrous the entire day had been. 'Hah… that's what I get for trying to make everyone happy.'
He could already imagine the look of utter disappointment on her face when they would meet next time. At this point, he was not even sure if he would be able to even face the woman had on without shame. And it was only a matter of time before Hayate herself found out what happened. He had no plans on keeping it a secret after this disaster nor would he stop Nanoha from telling the others.
"You look sad, Shirou."
Out of nowhere, he heard the voice come from behind, feeling immediately relieved that nothing unexpected had occurred, he turned around to come out with an explanation only to freeze mid sentence upon seeing someone he had not expected to see here.
"Fate?" He whispered her name, only to realize that she was not alone.
Accompanying her being none other than Nanoha and Hayate, the latter holding on to Lutecia like one would a doll. The little girl gave him a guilty expression before looking away. "Sorry, I ran out of drinks to distract her." Much to his horror throughout the two girls smiled, but for some reason those expressions looked quite ominous in his mind.
How was Hayate here? He was pretty sure to have seen her just now at the cinema!
"I-I… I can explain. I just… I just did not want to disappoint any one of you and forgot about my plans with Hayate this morning which was why I accepted Nanoha's! I couldn't bring myself to cancel when I had already agreed!"
He would be lucky to survive this day, but this was the only thing he could do at the moment and just tell the full truth. All the while waiting to either be slapped, punched, blasted by a powerful pillar of light… or all three at the same time. Yet none of that happened, instead, he heard them all giggle with Fate being the loudest one.
"Seriously, Shirou. I thought you were a mature one but it's clear even you can be pretty reckless at times. You should have just told us this from the beginning."
Eh? They weren't angry? Where was the violence and the punching?
"Agreed," Nanoha said. "I could have just asked the others to join us as well. Would have made the date more fun!"
"—?"
Now he was really confused about what was going on.
----------
The next 5 chapters of Snafu, and my other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters, Steel Eyed Faker soon to be 3 chapters, Hound having 3 and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.