Under the night sky, the Seaside, the raucous music, and the people and Pokémon letting loose at the festival formed a vivid scene.
Mingyou and Akari walked side by side through it, but the bustle around them seemed to have nothing to do with them.
Since parting ways with Ogerpon and the others, they had wandered back and forth for nearly ten minutes. They had barely spoken, and neither seemed ready to stop. The awkwardness was palpable.
"Ahem, listen..."
Akari finally couldn't take it anymore. She cleared her throat twice and, fighting through her embarrassment, said with a hint of complaint, "You're not really planning to spend the whole night... walking around with me, are you?"
She was putting it mildly. It was her first date too, but she had never heard of a date where two people did nothing but wander around.
Couldn't they find something else to do? Like... oh no. She had no idea either.
Hearing her complaint, Mingyou gave an embarrassed smile. "You're right... Let's get something to eat first. I heard someone say there's a Circus performing over there. Want to see it?"
"I'll leave it to you. You're the one who asked me out, not the other way around... Take the lead!"
Akari was getting a headache. She was a step away from grabbing him and dragging him along herself. She knew he could be dense, but she hadn't expected him to be this dense. Her excitement for their first date was almost gone.
But as soon as she said that, she felt someone gently take her hand. Glancing over, she saw that Mingyou really had reached out first. When he sensed that she wasn't pulling away, some of his nervousness faded, and he tightened his grip a little.
*Not quite as dense as