Wanting to get off the topic of his cooking skills―he didn’t deal well with praise when it wasn’t about track―Kevin swiftly changed the subject.
“
So, um, I was thinking we could go see a movie today.”
Lilian perked up, literally. The tips of her foxy ears pointed straight towards the ceiling and her back straightened. Even her two bushy-red tails were directed upwards.
“
A movie?”
Glad that he was able to direct the conversation away from his cooking, Kevin nodded. “Yeah, there are a few new movies that just came out a little while ago. I haven’t had a chance to see them yet.”
Since meeting Lilian and dealing with the drama that accompanied her, he hadn’t been able to see any of the new movies that had come out. He hadn’t even considered going until about two days ago.
“
What kind of movie did you want to watch?” Lilian looked positively curious.
“
There’s this one movie I want to see about a group of people who are saturated with cosmic radiation and gain superpowers. It’s one of those action movies about superheroes and villains and stuff.”
“
Humans gaining superpowers?” Lilian lips curled in amusement. “You humans have the most fantastical story ideas. I guess that’s one of the reasons I’ve always been so fascinated by your kind. All of you possess such incredible imaginations.”
Kevin’s brow furrowed. “Was that an insult?”
“
Not at all,” Lilian shook her head, smiling, “I think you’re misunderstanding what I meant—that was a compliment. Other yōkai might feel superior to humans because we have powers and you don’t, but I’m not one of them. Kotohime always told me that humanity’s imagination is what has led them to some of the greatest achievements in history for both human and yōkai.”
“
Ah, I see, Kotohime…” Kevin thoughtfully scrunched his nose. “That’s your maid, right?”
“
One of them. Kotohime has been my maid and bodyguard ever since I gained my second tail. Our other maid is her sister, Kirihime.”
Right, he’d nearly forgotten that Lilian’s family had two maids. That was so not fair. He wanted a maid, too! He could just imagine what having his own maid would be like.
A girl in a French maid outfit stood before him, her skirt barely covering her any of her thighs. It was so short that every movement she made revealed her white panties and black garters. The low-cut bodice allowed him to see titillating hints of cleavage, the short-sleeves leaving the silky skin of her arms visible. A bonnet sat atop the crown of her head, whilst beautiful red locks of hair glimmered down her back like a gentle wave. Bright green eyes smiled at him.
“
Welcome home, Master. Would you like me to take your coat?”
“
Yes, I would. Thank you.”
“
You are most welcome. Now then, Master, what would you like first? Would you like me to make you some dinner? Or maybe you would like me to draw you a hot bath? Or, perhaps you would like… me?”
“
I think I’ll take you, my dear. Right here. Right now.”
The maid giggled. It was a beautiful thing to hear.
“
Very well, Master. Would you like to take me on the bed, the couch, or the dining room table?”
“
Let’s do the table this time. Is that okay with you?”
“
Of course.” She smiled at him. “Anything for my Master.”
“
Kevin?”
“…”
“
Hello? Lilian to Kevin?”
“…”
“
Muuu, I hope you’re not ignoring me.”
“…”
“
I’m stripping naked right now.”
“
Don’t strip in the kitchen!” Kevin shouted, red-faced and breathing hard. He blinked several times.
Then his eyes landed on Lilian.
She was still fully clothed.
He pouted.
“
That was a mean thing to do.”
“
Sorry, Kevin,” Lilian giggled, “but you were spacing out for a second there. I had to get your attention somehow.”
“
Whatever,” Kevin mumbled, trying not to let her words get to him. He couldn’t believe he’d been daydreaming like that! And about Lilian, of all people! Lilian! In a maid outfit! A sexy maid outfit! What the hell was wrong with him?
He started eating, hoping that if he did something it would take his mind off the admittedly hot daydream he’d just had.
“
Ne, Kevin?” Lilian asked into the pervasive silence.
Kevin didn’t look up as he cut a slice of pancake and stuck it in his mouth.
“
Yes?”
“
Since you’re taking me to the movies, would that make this a date?”
Unprepared for such a forward question, Kevin swallowed the food while also sucking in a gasp of air, causing the bite of pancake to become lodged inside of his airway.
“
Inari-blessed! Beloved!”
He heard Lilian’s shout, but couldn’t say anything, as he was a little too busy choking on bits of pancake. His hands went to his throat, clawing at it in panic as he struggled to breathe.
A hand rested on his back and started rubbing it. The act felt strangely soothing, warm even, and Kevin could feel the food somehow getting dislodged from inside of his windpipe, almost as if it was dissolving.
“
Are you alright?” a worried voice asked in his ear.
“
I-I’m fine.” Kevin coughed several more times, pounding his chest with a fist to dislodge that last bit of pancake, while also silently berating himself. He really should have learned not to eat when Lilian was about to speak by now. Nothing good ever came of it.
“
Here, drink this.” Lilian handed him a glass of orange juice, which Kevin drank greedily. “Better?”
Kevin continued drinking until all of the orange juice was gone, sighed, and then set the cup on the table. He cast a grateful smile in Lilian’s direction.
“
Much better, thanks.”
“
You’re welcome.” Lilian returned his smile with a beautiful one of her own. As she sat back down in her chair, the gorgeous two-tails resumed their previous conversation. “Now, about that date…”
“
D-date?!”
“
Yes, date.” Lilian looked at him oddly. “That is what it’s called when two people of the opposite gender go out together, isn’t it?”
“
Ah… w-well, yes, it is.” Kevin scratched his cheek with his left hand. “B-but, I don’t think… I mean, this isn’t really a date, right? I mean it could be, but, uh, well, a date sort of implies that… you know… that you and I… I mean, that we…”
“
You’re speaking nonsense, Kevin.” Lilian’s lips curved into a delightful u-shape. She wasn’t quite sure if Kevin was at the
Gibberish of Love
stage yet―he wasn’t spouting embarrassing non sequiturs, after all―but he was definitely
Emotionally Tongue-Tied
. He even seemed to be undergoing a minor
Dere Dere
moment of denial, which was normally something only tsunderes like a certain violent yuki-onna did.
Lilian thought it was adorable.
“
Right.” Kevin’s shoulders slumped, as if he wanted to disappear into his seat. “Sorry.”
Lilian resisted the urge to pull the teen to her bosom and smother him with affection.
Keep calm, Lilian. Remember, slow and steady wins the race.
Those words gave her the strength to resist her overly enthusiastic disposition when it came to giving Kevin more love and affection than he was capable of handling.
“
You don’t need to apologize. I’m just happy we’re going to be doing something together, just the two of us.”
She placed her hands over his. Kevin looked at their hands, then up at Lilian’s face, at the soft curve of her lips. His pink cheeks darkened in hue and he looked away, though he didn’t jerk his hands out from under hers, which Lilian considered a small victory in her battle for Kevin’s heart.
“
Ah, um, me too,” he mumbled, causing Lilian’s smile to widen. She may not have her mate yet, but it was only a matter of time. All the signs were there.
Yes, Kevin was as good as hers.
Ufufufu…
***
Two hours after breakfast, Kevin and Lilian were riding to the mall.
As was routine, Kevin pedaled while Lilian sat behind him, her arms around his waist and her right cheek resting against his back. She could feel his heartbeat from this position, thumping in a steady, though fast-paced, rhythm. It was a reassuring sound, one that she loved hearing. It would not be inaccurate to say that she would gladly stay like this forever if she could.
Her eyes closed as she allowed the soothing beat of Kevin’s heart to lull her senses. She scooted just a bit closer, pressing her body more fully into his. Maybe it was just because of the cold air hitting them as they rode down the street, but Kevin’s body seemed much warmer than usual. It was so incredibly soothing. So soothing that she could just…
“
Lilian?”
Lilian blinked at the sound of her name being called. It took several seconds to realize that Kevin was the person calling her. It took her several more seconds to notice that her face was pressed against his back, and longer still to realize that she had been drooling on the back of his shirt.
Whoops. Better not say anything and hope he won’t notice.
“
Yes, Be―Kevin?” she asked, yawning a bit. Wow, did she feel groggy. Kevin’s warmth was really something.
“
Everything okay back there?” he asked, his head turning to look behind him as she sat up. “You stopped talking to me about halfway to the mall.”
Lilian let out another yawn as she stretched her legs out on either side of the bike. Her toes also stretched themselves out, wiggling several times for good measure. She really wished she could take her tails out and stretch those, too. It was most unfortunate that humans weren’t supposed to know about the existence of yōkai, otherwise she would have.
“
M’fine,” she murmured as the last vestiges of sleep left her. “What were you saying?”
“
Nothing important.” Kevin shook his head. “Anyway, I’ve been trying to tell you for the last few minutes that we’ve arrived.”
Lilian looked around and realized what he meant; they had arrived at the mall. It loomed over them like a castle to the final boss battle of a Japanese RPG. A massive, multi-story complex that was composed of several buildings connected via a series of walkways. It looked like they were on the west side, near the food court. The arcade was on the opposite side.
“
Oh… that was fast.”
Kevin gave her a strange look that she couldn’t interpret before shaking his head.
“
Come on. Let’s lock the bike up and get to the theater. Since it’s still early, there shouldn’t be any lines.”
“
Right!”
The two entered the mall and strode down the large walkway, devoid of people due to the early hour. The theater was located near the food court, an expansive space marked by bright neon signs and red carpet.
Kevin and Lilian walked past several posters hanging on the walls and a number of giant support pillars, stopping in front of the ticket booth where a bored-looking woman stood behind a glass panel. The expression on her bland face was the utter definition of “I hate my job.”
“
Welcome to Maverick Theaters,” she greeted in a tone that was every bit as dull as her face, “what movie would you like to see today?”
“
Two tickets for
t
h
e
Fantastic Four
.”
“
That’ll be fourteen dollars.”
Kevin pulled out his wallet and paid for the tickets, which the woman slid under the glass panel, all the while her perennially bored eyes stared at him.
“
Here are your tickets. Enjoy the show,” she drawled.
“
Thank you.”
After receiving their tickets, the pair went to the concession booth, where a peppy middle-aged woman waited for them to order. Her pleasantly smiling face was filled with good cheer, a startling contrast to the woman at the ticket booth. She appeared to be the epitome of what a proper concessionist should be.
“
Lilian, do you want popcorn or candy?”
“
Um.” Lilian’s nose scrunched up cutely as she surveyed the various treats available. “I’m not sure. I’ll have whatever you’re having.”
Kevin nodded and turned to the woman.
“
We’ll have one large popcorn and two medium Diet Cokes, please.”
“
Actually, make that one large Diet Coke.” Kevin gave Lilian a look, but she just smiled at him. “Please indulge me with this, Kevin.”