Chapter Twenty-Six: The Second Date with Shixiang

It was the weekend, the last day of the holiday.

Although he still hadn’t found Toka’s whereabouts, since Kotori had promised that Ratatoskr would do their utmost to help, Su Mo let the matter rest for now. Seizing a rare moment of leisure, he planned to use this final day of the week for a good rest.

Alas, early in the morning, a girl in a white dress, her hair tied with a red ribbon into a pair of cat-like ears, slipped quietly into his room and nudged him awake, whispering, “Su Mo, Su Mo, don’t sleep anymore. You promised yesterday to take me on a date today.”

Shiori’s voice was filled with anticipation—after all, this was their second official date. She had been so excited she couldn’t sleep last night, and this morning rose early to dress meticulously, only to find Su Mo still fast asleep.

Usually, it was Kotori in her little sister mode who woke him—a small perk of living in the Itsuka household. Today, with Shiori taking on the task, Su Mo felt a bit out of sorts. As he opened his eyes and glanced at her, his gaze lingered for a few seconds on a certain curvaceous part before he reluctantly looked away.

Rubbing his brow, Su Mo said wearily, “What time is it? Even if we’re going on a date, isn’t it too early?”

“It’s not early at all, Su Mo! It’s already eight o’clock!” Shiori replied earnestly. Usually by this hour, they’d be at school.

Su Mo could only offer a wry smile in response.

Seeing Shiori so well-dressed, he didn’t want to dampen her enthusiasm. Springing out of bed with the agility of a carp leaping from water, he quickly dressed and, together with Shiori, left the room.

Urged on by her impatience, Su Mo finished his morning routine in a flash.

Though it was early, the Itsuka house was quiet. Kotori had left for Fraxinus at dawn to oversee pressing matters. Ratatoskr was currently devoting all efforts to tracking down the Hermit, so everyone was busy and barely at home all day.

As for Shizhi, she had gone to school for rehearsal. In two months, it would be time for the annual Tenka Festival—a grand event jointly organized by over a dozen high schools in Tenguu City. Each school would present its own themed activity, and a final champion would be chosen.

It was rumored that a girls’ high school had a singer who had become an internet sensation, amassing a huge fanbase. This put a lot of pressure on Shizhi, who was leading her school’s team this year. Determined not to embarrass herself in the competition, she spent nearly all her free time in practice.

Though Shizhi had left early, she had thoughtfully prepared breakfast for Su Mo and Shiori.

After breakfast, Shiori dragged Su Mo out the door.

Strolling along the street, Su Mo glanced at the blushing yet excited Shiori beside him and couldn’t help but ask, “By the way…Shiori, now that you’ve dragged me out so early, do you even know where you want to go?”

He had made no plans for this date whatsoever.

Now that Shiori had pulled him out, he was utterly clueless about their destination.

He’d thought Shiori was as unprepared as he was, but to his surprise, she pulled two tickets from her pocket. The brashness on her face melted into shyness. “These are tickets to the aquarium—Mai and the others gave them to me. They said it would be a great place for us to go on a date…”

Her voice grew softer and softer as she spoke, until it was barely audible, her once-fair cheeks flushed a deep scarlet. She twisted away, feigning a cold snort, and shoved one of the tickets into Su Mo’s hand.

Looking at the ticket, Su Mo’s mouth twitched.

He was well acquainted with the Mai Shiori mentioned—one of their classmates, part of the trio known as the “Three Girls of Raizen High”: Ai, Mai, and Mei. All three had “i” in their names and were inseparable, like triplet sisters.

The trio often teased Su Mo mercilessly, especially whenever Shiori and Origami clashed. They’d accuse Su Mo of being fickle and two-timing—a real scoundrel.

He hadn’t expected them to be so considerate as to give Shiori tickets for a date.

Examining the address, he saw it was for the Tenguu Quintet Aquarium in eastern Tenguu City, not far from where they were. This aquarium, only recently built, was a comprehensive commercial complex, complete with affiliated hotels, an indoor amusement park, a cinema, and a large shopping center, all clustered together like a small city block.

When Su Mo and Shiori arrived, crowds bustled all around—testament to the place’s popularity. Most were couples, making it the premier dating destination in all of Tenguu City.

Shiori followed closely behind Su Mo and suddenly asked, “By the way, Su Mo, do you know what an aquarium actually is?”

“You mean you’ve never been to one?” Su Mo asked, surprised. Lately, Shiori had been diligently studying human culture. He’d assumed she knew what an aquarium was, but apparently not.

Shiori lowered her head and mumbled, “I’ve only ever gone on a date with you once. Otherwise, I’ve only gone to the food street with Kotori and Reine to eat. I haven’t been anywhere else.”

Indeed, Shiori’s activities were severely limited. She mostly went between the Itsuka house and the school, with occasional visits to Ratatoskr for checkups. To avoid trouble, Kotori and the others rarely allowed her out alone, so it was natural she’d never visited an aquarium.

Su Mo thought for a moment, then explained, “An aquarium? It’s a place with lots of fish.”

“Braised fish?”

The mention of fish immediately made Shiori think of food, and she nearly drooled.

Seeing this, Su Mo’s face fell and he quickly shook his head.

“Then…is it steamed fish?”

“No, it’s just a place to look at live fish, watching them swim around in the water. Honestly, it’s a bit boring,” Su Mo said truthfully, giving Shiori a brief lesson.

He wasn’t particularly interested in aquariums—unless, of course, he was accompanied by a cute and lovely girl like Shiori, which made it a lot more fun.

“I see!”

Shiori frowned, realizing that since coming to the human world, she’d only ever seen fish as food—never alive.

This piqued her interest immensely.

The two of them entered the aquarium, handed over their tickets to the attendant, and stepped into the dim interior.

Then—

“Ahhh! What is this?” Shiori suddenly exclaimed, grabbing Su Mo’s hand.

The walls inside were all made of glass, completely transparent, giving the illusion of being beneath the sea. All around them, schools of fish swam past, their scales visible even to Su Mo. Above their heads, a whale larger than a truck glided, sending a chill down one’s spine.

Su Mo had long grown accustomed to such sights. Before he’d come to this world, he often visited aquariums; the first time was impressive, but after several visits, it lost its charm. In fact, watching a nature documentary at home seemed more appealing.

But for Shiori, it was a visual shock. She pressed close to the glass wall, eyes wide as she watched a swarm of small fish swim by, her gaze tracking their every movement, fascinated by their cute forms.

“How beautiful, how amazing!”

Shiori clung to Su Mo’s hand, their bodies pressed close together, quietly admiring the scene before them.