"Ling Feng, what is a date?" Shixiang asked, trotting alongside Ling Feng, her head tilted in confusion.
"A date, hmm, how should I explain this?"
Ling Feng scratched his head, unsure how to begin.
Suddenly, the aroma of grilled food wafted from a nearby barbecue stall. Shixiang's pink ribbon seemed to act like a radar, perking up instantly.
"What's that? It smells so good!"
Before Ling Feng could respond, Shixiang had already dashed towards the barbecue stall, her speed astonishing.
Although Shixiang had been purified, she was still an Angel. If she left his sight, there was no guarantee against any accidents. Ling Feng quickly chased after her.
At the barbecue stall, Shixiang gazed at the variety of skewers on the grill, her mouth watering. Her eyes were locked onto the food.
"Boss, we'll take all these skewers."
Seeing this, Ling Feng stepped forward and handed over a ten-thousand-yen bill, buying all the skewers on the grill.
"Young man, you're quite generous. They'll be ready shortly," the barbecue stall owner said with a knowing smile.
"Here."
Ling Feng handed the bag of skewers to Shixiang, who took out a sausage and began eating it with gusto.
"Mmm! So delicious!" Shixiang's eyes lit up.
After that, Ling Feng and Shixiang continued to explore the food street, trying various delicacies.
Ling Feng realized just how large Shixiang's appetite was. She didn't stop eating the entire time they walked down the street. Truly, she was from the same origin as Tohka, a true big eater.
Fortunately, his light novel had earned him a considerable amount of money. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to afford Shixiang's expenses.
To support a big eater, one must first have money.
"Hey! Ling Feng, what's going on over there!"
While eating, Ling Feng's wristband suddenly rang with Kotori's astonished shout.
Shixiang, engrossed in her food, didn't notice the situation with Ling Feng.
Ling Feng pulled out an earphone from his pocket and put it on. "What is it?"
"How can you ask what's going on? I asked you to buy groceries, and you're with the 'Princess'!" Kotori yelled.
"Uh… it's a long story."
"Then get to the point."
Ling Feng pondered for a moment and gave a simple explanation, omitting the purification but mentioning the date.
"I see. Then keep the Princess under control. Since she's your mission target, she's your responsibility."
"Don't worry."
After ending the communication, Ling Feng removed his earphone and put it in his pocket.
Now, let our war (date) begin!
Leaving a dessert shop, Ling Feng and Shixiang arrived at the entrance of an arcade.
"Mom! I want to play this!"
At the arcade entrance, a small child tugged at his mother's hand, eager to go inside.
Shixiang blinked, looking curiously at the arcade. Inside were many strange machines and quite a few people, all wearing happy smiles.
"Ling Feng, what is that place? They all look so happy."
Shixiang held Ling Feng's hand, asking with a puzzled expression. Ling Feng glanced at the arcade and smiled slightly. "Why don't we go in and find out?"
Inside the arcade, Shixiang looked around with curiosity. Everything was new and fascinating to her, like Liu Grandma visiting the Grand View Garden.
Ling Feng went to the counter and exchanged his money for one hundred game tokens, which filled an entire basket.
"Let's go."
"Ling Feng, what are these?" Shixiang picked up a game token from the basket and examined it.
"This is called a game token, and it's used to… hey, hey, hey! That's not food!"
Mid-explanation, Ling Feng saw Shixiang putting the token into her mouth and quickly grabbed her hand in fright.
Foodies really do have peculiar ways of identifying things!
"It's not food?" Shixiang blinked innocently, her purple eyes filled with naivety.
She thought it was chocolate. Some of the delicious things Ling Feng had given her before looked like coins.
"No, this isn't food, it's a game token," Ling Feng said, releasing her wrist and picking up a token to explain.
"Game token?"
"Yes, follow me."
Leading Shixiang, Ling Feng stopped in front of a claw machine and explained as he demonstrated.
"First, you insert a game token into the coin slot, then you can control the machine. You then use the claw to aim for the doll you want, and finally, you guide the claw to move the doll towards the exit. If the doll falls into the exit, we can retrieve it from the outside."
Shixiang leaned against the glass, watching curiously as the claw descended, aiming for a Doraemon doll. The moment the doll was lifted by the claw, Shixiang's eyes brightened.
However, suddenly, the doll slipped from the claw and fell back among the other toys.
"Huh? Ling Feng, why did you let go?" Shixiang looked confused, as this was different from what Ling Feng had said.
Hearing this, Ling Feng chuckled wryly and shook his head. "I didn't let go." He pointed to the claw inside the machine.
"It's because this claw can't grip it firmly. Usually, the doll slips halfway. You need skill to get a doll.
"Then let me try!" Shixiang exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with interest. This place had already piqued her curiosity.
"Here, insert the token yourself."
Ling Feng moved aside. Shixiang excitedly sat on the stool in front of the claw machine. Following Ling Feng's method, she inserted a game token into the coin slot and then, with utmost concentration, watched the claw and began to control it.
"Careful, careful." Shixiang was nervous, meticulously controlling the claw to aim for a doll. She looked as if she were doing something very dangerous yet very important.
"Got it!"
Shixiang shouted excitedly. The claw inside the machine had grabbed a Pikachu doll and was slowly moving towards the exit.
But just then, like with Ling Feng, the Pikachu doll slipped from the claw halfway through the movement.
"Ah! It fell!" Shixiang cried out, a little dejected.
Ling Feng gently patted Shixiang's head and smiled warmly.
"Don't be discouraged. It was just one try. If it doesn't work the first time, try again. We have plenty of game tokens."
Looking at Ling Feng's gentle expression, Shixiang's heart warmed, and she smiled radiantly. "Okay."
Next, they took turns.
"Ah! Darn it, just a little bit more."
"Again!"
"Be careful, be quick!"
"Aim for the closer ones… it fell again, just a little bit more, just a little bit more."
Unfortunately, despite their repeated attempts, neither of them managed to win a single doll.
"Darn it, why is it so hard?" Shixiang looked utterly dejected, her unhappiness evident on her face.
"Don't worry, I've figured out a little trick. Come, Shixiang, sit down," Ling Feng said with a smile, gesturing for Shixiang to sit on the stool.
"?" Sitting on the stool, Shixiang looked puzzled and bewildered. She didn't understand why Ling Feng wanted her to sit instead of him.
Suddenly, Shixiang felt a pair of steady, strong hands cover her slender ones. Her cheeks immediately flushed. She might not understand social norms, but she wasn't completely ignorant.
"Ling Feng…"
"Don't speak. Concentrate."
Shixiang blinked. She first sat up straight and then glanced back. Ling Feng's brows were furrowed, his gaze sharp and extremely focused.
Seeing this, Shixiang took a deep breath, also concentrating. She held the hand that was guiding her controls.
When the claw descended and lifted a doll, Shixiang instinctively assumed it was a failure, just like the previous attempts.
Just as Shixiang thought it would fall again, the hand holding the joystick made a sharp "turn back." Due to inertia, the slipping doll fell into the exit in a beautiful parabolic arc.
Shixiang's pupils constricted in shock. "It succeeded?!" Shixiang excitedly lowered her body and indeed saw a Pikachu doll lying quietly in the claw machine's exit.
"How?!" Shixiang couldn't believe it. The claw machine looked easy, but she realized how difficult it was when she experienced it herself.
Ling Feng bent down, retrieved the doll, and handed it to Shixiang. "Because of inertia."
"Inertia?" Shixiang tilted her head, placing her index finger on her red lips in thought, but she couldn't understand it at all.
"Uh… this." Seeing Shixiang's bewildered expression, Ling Feng simply explained what inertia was.
As they left the claw machine, Shixiang hugged the newly won Pikachu doll, her face beaming with joy. Her pink ribbon tied to her ponytail fluttered gently, indicating her excellent mood.
After that, Ling Feng took Shixiang to experience various other attractions, including VR shooting, whack-a-mole, and air rifle shooting. They only left the arcade around three in the afternoon, still reluctant to depart.
In the evening, at a pavilion on a mountain, a gentle breeze blew.
"Ling Feng, thank you for taking me to eat so many delicious foods and play so many fun games today," Shixiang said, sitting on a stone bench and smiling. The breeze ruffled her long hair.
"You're welcome," Ling Feng replied with a smile, his eyes full of tenderness. Throughout the day, he saw a reflection of Kiana in Shixiang. Their personalities were too similar.
"So, Ling Feng, what exactly is a date?"
"A date? It's when a boy and a girl go shopping and hang out together."
"I see."
Shixiang nodded slightly, then stood up and left the pavilion, leaning against a railing outside and gazing at the brightly lit Tengu City.
"What's wrong?" Ling Feng asked, standing beside her.
"I was just thinking, if you hadn't purified the chaotic energy within me, if I hadn't met you… would I have destroyed this beautiful city one day… or been killed by someone else?" Shixiang asked with complex emotions in her eyes.
"…But that situation won't happen now, will it?"
"Yes. Thank you, Ling Feng, for giving me a new life," Shixiang said, looking at Ling Feng gently.
"As I said, you're welcome."
"So…" Shixiang suddenly took two steps forward, standing in front of Ling Feng. She smiled slightly. "Isn't it time to complete the last step of our date?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Shixiang tilted her head back, closed her eyes, and presented herself, as if awaiting his embrace.
"!!!" Ling Feng's expression froze. How did Shixiang know? Never mind… Ling Feng gently placed his hands on Shixiang's shoulders and leaned in.
[Ding! Mission complete. Reward has been issued!]
— Author's Note —
After this chapter, the next update time is uncertain. It might be next week, or it might not be updated at all.
The current data for this book is quite poor. I'm considering starting a new one (after my college entrance exams).
Regardless, I thank all the readers who have made it this far. Thank you for your support! (Bows)
If I start a new book, I will remind you here. The theme won't be a multiverse like this, but a single fanfiction, most likely Pokémon.
Thank you all again!