Date and Kurumi

The apartment wasn't big, just one bedroom and one living room, but it was very clean.

Two cups of black tea, still steaming, sat on the coffee table in the living room.

She seemed to have known he was coming all along.

He sat down on the sofa, Kurumi sat down opposite him.

She picked up the teacup, gently blew on it to cool it, and took a sip.

Her right eye was fixed on him, and the smile on her lips never faded.

Aren't you curious how I knew you were coming?

"Mio told you."

You guessed right, but not quite.

She put down her teacup.

"Actually, I have merged memories from other timelines, which is why I am able to use a portion of the power of the Rasiel."

Higashino Makoto's brows furrowed slightly.

"What's the meaning?"

"What I mean is, I remember that timeline where you didn't exist. In those worlds, there was no savior, no one came back from the future to stop Tohka Yatogami going berserk, the world was destroyed, and everyone died."

Her voice was calm, as if she were talking about something unrelated to herself, but the curve of her lips told you that she was actually in a good mood.

"And how I sold myself to you, my savior."

Higashino Makoto looked at her.

"You seem so calm... aren't you worried?"

"What's there to worry about? Is there anything more worrying than the end of the world?"

She stood up, walked to the window, and turned her back to him. Her long black hair hung down her back, and her two braids gleamed softly in the sunlight.

"In that timeline, I offered myself as the price to ask you to save the world, and you agreed, and you actually did it."

She turned around, looking at him with her right eye.

"Do you know that feeling? Entrusting your life to someone else, and that person actually using you as a bargaining chip, and then saving the world. That feeling is strange, like you're one with the world itself."

Higashino Makoto leaned back on the sofa.

So you're happy?

"Happy."

She walked back and sat down beside him.

"Don't you think? Trading one's own ownership for the survival of the entire world... Ah! How childish, how romantic, how perfectly in line with my aesthetics."

"Then what?"

Higashino Makoto looked at her.

Then I realized I wasn't the only female lead.

Kurumi's smile froze for a moment, clearly showing some disappointment.

"Did Mio tell you?"

"Um."

She lowered her head and gently rubbed her fingers on her knees.

"... I'm a little jealous."

"Only a little?"

"... a lot of."

She looked up at him with her right eye.

"I thought I was special, but it turns out I'm just one in a dozen. Do you know that feeling? You think you've won the jackpot, but it turns out there are over a dozen jackpots."

Higashino Makoto's lips curled up slightly.

"So, are you still angry now?"

Kurumi remained silent for a moment.

"I'm not angry anymore."

"Why?"

"Because you are you, you are the one who came back from the future to save the world, you are the one who gave me hope when I was in despair."

She reached out and gently touched his face.

So, I still love you. Even though you're a womanizer, even though you made me wait thirty years, even though you don't belong to me alone, I still love you.

Higashino Makoto looked into her right eye.

There was no hesitation, no reluctance, in those eyes.

"That would be perfect."

So, is there a reward?

Yes, what do you want?

Kurumi's lips curled up slightly.

"Then you'll stay with me today."

What am I supposed to do with you?

"Dating."

Without hesitation, Higashino Makoto agreed immediately.

"OK."

The dessert shop is located on the corner of the commercial street. It's not a big shop, with a pink sign and various exquisite cakes displayed in the window.

Kurumi stood in front of the shop window, her right eye scanning the desserts before finally settling on a strawberry cake.

"This."

Higashino Makoto paid the bill, and the two sat down at a window seat.

Incidentally, the money was given to him by Mio Takamiya; it was a bank card with a balance of about ten figures.

Kurumi cut a piece of cake with a small fork, put it in her mouth, and squinted her eyes.

"Tasty."

"Um."

Aren't you going to eat?

"I'm not hungry."

She forked a piece of cake and held it to his lips.

Open your mouth.

Higashino Makoto glanced at her, then opened his mouth and ate.

The cream was cloyingly sweet, and the strawberries were a bit sour.

"Is it tasty?"

"It is too sweet."

Higashino Makoto doesn't dislike sweets, but his highest praise for sweets is that they are neither too sweet nor too cloying.

I think it's just right.

She continued eating her cake, her movements elegant, cutting only a small piece with her fork each time.

Higashino Makoto watched her eat, a slight smile playing on his lips.

The cat cafe is across from the dessert shop.

As soon as I opened the door, the smell of cat food wafted out.

A dozen or so cats were scattered around the store; some were sunbathing on the windowsill, some were dozing on the cat tree, and some were chasing and playing on the floor.

Kurumi crouched down, and an orange cat walked over and rubbed against her skirt.

She reached out and stroked the orange cat's head, and the cat purred.

Do you like cats?

"I like it, but I can't keep it as a pet. Or rather, if I had to keep it, I would use magic to give it greater Wisdom and power."

"Why?"

"Because owning a cat requires responsibility, I can't even take care of myself, I need someone else to take care of me."

She picked up the orange cat, stood up, and held the cat up to Higashino Makoto.

"Touch it."

Higashino Makoto reached out and patted the orange cat's head.

The cat's fur was very soft, its eyes were narrowed to slits, and it purred even louder.

"It's happy."

"Yeah, just like you."

Kurumi's right eye curved into a crescent moon.

The bridal shop is at the end of the commercial street. Two white wedding dresses are displayed in the window, one with a long train and the other a short and playful style.

Kurumi stopped in her tracks, stood in front of the shop window, and stared at the trailing wedding dress with her right eye.

Is it pretty?

"Nice."

Want to see me wear it?

Higashino Makoto glanced at her, and the image of Kurumi in a wedding dress, along with the image of her soiling the pristine white gown, automatically flashed through his mind. Without hesitation, he gave his answer.

"Think."

She pushed open the door and went inside. The shop assistant, a young woman, paused for a moment when she saw Kurumi, then greeted her with a smile.

"Miss, which one would you like to try on?"

"That one in the shop window, the one with the train."

Higashino Makoto sat on the sofa in the shop, waiting.

After about ten minutes, the curtain to the locker room was lifted.

Kurumi came out.

The white wedding dress clung to her body, its train spreading out on the floor like a white ocean.

Her hair was let down, long black hair cascading over her shoulders, her bangs still covering her left eye.

She stood in front of the mirror, looking at herself, a complex light flashing in her right eye.

Is it pretty?

She turned her head and looked at Higashino Makoto.

Looking at the girl who seemed as beautiful as an angel, Higashino Makoto gave his answer without hesitation.

"Nice."

"Real?"

"Real."

The corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

She twirled in front of the mirror, her skirt tracing an arc in the air, its train sweeping across the floor.

"I'll buy this one."

The shop assistant's eyes lit up, and Higashino Makoto pulled out his wallet.

"I bought it, and I also bought a few other different styles while I was at it."

The shop assistant looked like he'd seen God!