A Da?te
The effect of a "date" was incredible.
At least, it was for me.
Even though we were just walking down the street like normal, everything felt completely different.
Following behind me, the sound of his footsteps echoing after mine tickled my ears.
How could simply wearing casual clothes instead of our uniforms, walking under the pretext of a "date," make such a massive difference?
My heart was fluttering.
It was one of the emotions I had come to understand while spending time with the Zeto of the previous timeline.
Zeto had gifted me so many emotions.
Comfort, joy, delight, happiness—all those positive feelings.
It's all so wonderful, but...
I didn't like how the female cadets passing by on the street kept casting sly glances at Zeto.
Perhaps that was why I impulsively grabbed Zeto's hand as he followed behind me.
His hand, which I had hesitated to hold before out of fear that I would never be able to let go.
I held it now.
"..."
Zeto merely tilted his head slightly.
He didn't pull his hand away.
And so, holding his hand, I continued to walk down the street with him.
"Shall we... grab something to eat first?"
"But we already passed Harold's place."
Zeto questioned my suggestion.
He already knew how much I loved Harold's curry.
But today wasn't a date for me.
It was a date for Zeto.
"...Not curry today. This time, I wanted to show you a really nice place I know..."
Zeto and I stepped into a narrow alleyway.
The restaurant was tucked away in an inconspicuous spot, practically hidden from view.
"I didn't know there was a restaurant in a place like this."
"I found it recently... Personally, I really enjoyed the food here."
"Haha, I'll look forward to it then."
Zeto smiled brightly, and we stepped inside together.
He'll like it, right?
He was bound to love it.
This was a secret restaurant I had discovered with the Zeto of the previous timeline, and I vividly remembered how much he adored the food here.
The restaurant was incredibly quiet, completely devoid of other customers.
I had no idea why anyone would think to open a restaurant in a location like this... but it was even better because it was just the two of us.
They said mood and atmosphere are key.
Though I was currently on this "date" with Blanc's assistance, I was also making good use of the tips I had read in 101 Ways to Captivate a Man.
Seating ourselves at a cozy corner table, I ordered the food on behalf of Zeto, who couldn't read the menu.
The restaurant featured many unfamiliar dishes.
Not long after we ordered, a server approached and placed glasses filled with a beverage on our table.
"Here are your drinks first."
Specifically, this clear, transparent drink.
It was a highly unique beverage... and Zeto had absolutely loved it.
"You can drink it using this straw here."
After offering a polite explanation, the server smiled and disappeared back into the kitchen.
"...A straw?"
Zeto muttered, puzzled.
"Ah, you drink this beverage using a straw... If you put your lips to it and sip..."
And so, I began explaining how to use a straw, which I already knew about.
Wait... there's only one straw?
When I came here with Zeto last time, they definitely gave us two. What happened?
Well, I guess we can just share the one.
I guided the straw from the glass toward Zeto's lips.
"You just sip from this."
Slurp.
Zeto drank the beverage through the straw.
Now, all I had to do was watch his reaction.
"Oh...?"
Zeto's mouth parted slightly.
A giggle escaped my lips at his cute reaction, which was identical to his reaction in the previous timeline.
"Hehe, isn't it fascinating? It's called 'cider.' At first, I thought it was just water too. But it has this fizzy, tingling kick to it...!"
"It really is fascinating."
"Right? How does it taste?"
"It's delicious. Hmm... I think they might have added lemon or lime to it."
The corners of Zeto's lips curled up in satisfaction.
Seeing his reaction, I took a sip of the cider as well.
The straw was slightly damp... and though I realized it was likely Zeto's saliva, it didn't feel dirty to me at all.
An indirect kiss...
I had heard of such a thing.
But surely, something like this wouldn't be enough to break his curse.
The main dish was something called "boneless chicken"—a convenient, easy-to-eat meal of deep-fried, deboned chicken.
Zeto thoroughly enjoyed this as well.
After finishing our delightful meal, we bought some vanilla ice cream from a street vendor to cleanse our palates.
I held his hand tightly as we continued our walk.
There were so many things I wanted to do with Zeto, but the day seemed to be slipping away far too quickly.
The places we visited were mostly spots filled with memories of the Zeto from the previous timeline.
We climbed the clock tower together to take in deep breaths of the fresh air, and we even leaped across rooftops like children, hidden from the eyes of others.
I didn't do this simply to reminisce about the Zeto of the past or to dwell on old memories.
These were memories and moments that only I possessed—ones that this Zeto did not share.
In the past, that fact had been incredibly painful.
It was agonizing and deeply sorrowful.
At first, it had been difficult to even look Zeto in the face.
I had been foolish.
I couldn't let go of memories that held no meaning in this timeline, memories destined to crumble into dust.
But they were simply too precious to me.
Yet, it was a silly way to think.
Just as Blanc had said, the most important part of love was doing things "together."
So, just like this, together with Zeto.
Couldn't we just build new memories that were even happier than the ones before?
Even if the canvas had faded, couldn't we just paint over it once more?
That was the thought that took root in my mind.
Before I knew it, the sun had set, and the surroundings were gradually growing dark.
I led Zeto up the hill located on the outskirts of the academy.
Then, Zeto, who was following behind while holding my hand, spoke up.
"What are we doing here?"
Since I had been the one leading the way all day, Zeto was asking for my guidance.
What should we do?
I hadn't actually planned anything specific.
This place was also one of the spots filled with memories of Zeto.
But in this current timeline, I had been actively avoiding it.
I hadn't visited it even once.
"We aren't doing anything here. It's just... my favorite place."
I squatted down on the grassy field of the hill.
A familiar spot, a familiar view.
In truth, it was a place I had loved even before meeting Zeto in the previous timeline.
It was quiet.
Aside from the gentle breeze brushing past my ears, not a single sound could be heard.
Before my eyes lay the panoramic view of the academy and the city.
It offered a completely different feeling compared to the clock tower in the center of the city.
Even though it had been a long time since my last visit, everything felt incredibly familiar. But if there was one thing that was different...
"...It's nice and quiet."
Zeto, who had come to sit beside me, spoke softly.
Zeto.
This was the very place where I had first met Zeto in the previous timeline.
Or perhaps it would be more accurate to call it the place where we spoke to each other for the very first time.
At the time, I had spotted Zeto at the entrance ceremony and found myself intrigued by him.
A future that refused to change no matter what I did, and then, a sudden variable.
Though I was exhausted to my core, I had harbored a faint, fragile hope.
"I haven't seen your face before..."
I had uttered those words to Zeto as he approached the hill.
Naturally, Zeto had no way of knowing the true meaning behind those words.
"Today is the entrance ceremony... Isn't everyone a new face?"
He had tilted his head and retorted with that, causing me to let out a soft chuckle.
That was how naturally he had approached me.
That was also the reason why I had been reluctant to come here.
If I didn't come here, would our natural encounter never happen?
Was everything between us merely a series of coincidences?
I had wanted to find out.
Well, I couldn't help myself and ended up approaching him first anyway...
But all of that was meaningless now.
What matters right now is...
Turning my head, I gazed at Zeto, his figure illuminated by the gentle moonlight.
What mattered right now was that Zeto was here, sitting right beside me in this very place.
That was more than enough.
If the moments we shared here in the past were precious, then we could simply create moments that were far more precious now.
Zeto had shown me.
He had shown me what it meant to defy the future, to defy a predetermined fate.
So, I would simply do everything in my power to make sure I didn't lose him.
As I stared silently at his face without saying a word, my eyes drifted to his lips once again.
...It's probably impossible right now.
If I leaned in to kiss him right this second, I felt like Zeto wouldn't pull away.
...It was just a hunch.
But the problem lay in the condition: a kiss with "the one he loves."
If Zeto's curse didn't break even after we kissed... I wouldn't have the strength to bear that reality.
So, I had to wait until I was absolutely certain.
It seemed best to try only when there was no shadow of a doubt that Zeto loved me.
Though I still don't know when that will be, or how I'll find out.
I only hoped it wouldn't be too late.
Because if it was too late... all the memories I had built with him would vanish like bubbles, just like before.
Of course, before Zeto died, I could go find the Saintess... or make Zeto find "the one he loves" and have them kiss...
...Yes, even if it meant having Zeto find someone else he loved to kiss him, I would do it. But for now, it was fine.
For now, I still had a chance.
In the first place, there was absolutely no guarantee that Zeto would even appear in the next regression. He was, after all, a "variable."
As a precaution, I had tried to find out where Zeto had been before coming to the academy, but he had said he was traveling the continent with his master... It wouldn't be easy for me, stuck inside the safe confines of the academy, to track him down.
Attempting regression on my own was strictly a last resort—only when Zeto was dead and there was absolutely no other way to save him.
The absolute end of the line.
At that moment, as I stared intently at Zeto's face, making silent vows to myself...
Screeech—!
A single streak of light shot up from the city with a loud, whistling sound.
"Hmm...?"
Zeto, who had been sitting in a daze, voiced his confusion at the sudden noise.
Soon after, the light that had soared into the sky exploded.
Bang!
The source of the light was a firework.
"Fireworks..."
Following my murmur, another firework shot up and burst with a loud bang.
Since we were on a hill overlooking the entire city, the view was spectacular.
Multi-colored sparks embroidered the night sky.
It was brilliant and beautiful.
"...Fireworks, huh."
Zeto murmured, catching my whisper.
I could take in this sight, but Zeto could not.
So, I tried my best to "show" it to him.
"The sparks shoot up into the sky and go *bang!* They're so colorful..."
My explanation continued alongside the crackle of the fireworks.
Listening to my description, Zeto wore a faint smile.
And so began my lengthy description of the fireworks.
He quietly focused all his attention on my voice.
In fact, it wasn't just now; he had been entirely focused on me for the whole day.
Was this enough?
There was no way he could actually see it through my words, but I hoped my feelings would reach him.
Having run out of things to describe, I stopped looking at the exploding fireworks in the night sky and turned my head toward Zeto, opening my mouth to speak.
"...Anyway, it's really beauti..."
Zeto's head was turned toward me, not the sky.
Perhaps because he had no need to look at the sky, or perhaps simply because he was looking at me because I was speaking.
"...ful."
Because his face was suddenly so close to mine, the words caught in my throat.
Immediately, the lips of Zeto, who was "looking" at me, parted.
"Indeed. It really is beautiful."