"Seriously? You've never been here before?" Rose asked, stirring another spoonful of sugar into her orange, ginger, and who-knows-what-else tea.

"No, not really." Mica copied her, stirring his white chocolate mochaccino. "It looks... fancy."

When he'd looked over the menu, he'd been this close to ordering the brownie milkshake. It looked incredible. But after hearing Rose order tea, it suddenly felt far too undignified.

He hadn't wanted to make a fool of himself. Even so, he already felt completely out of place.

Naturally, Rose had picked the desserts too.

"So where are you taking me?" she asked. "Next time, you have to take me to your favorite place."

"Well..."

Mica pictured the milkshake shop downtown. Three plastic tables. A menu taped to the wall. Faded posters of old video games and anime.

"It's closer to downtown. I figured somewhere around here would be better."

"I don't mind." Rose smiled. "I'm not from around here. I'd like to get to know the city, so next time, you have to take me there. Promise?"

Before Mica could answer, the waitress arrived carrying a tiny slice of lemon tart and a neat wedge of cake covered in white frosting.

To him, both desserts looked painfully simple. Then again, he was used to watching Hugo devour enormous chocolate cakes buried beneath three different toppings that were of a quality that was surely as low as the price.

"Ooh, you have to try the

Mille-feuille

. It's out of this world." Rose cut herself a bite with a polished dessert spoon.

"So... you're really not from here?" Mica asked, tasting a piece of cake with his own spoon.

He immediately felt guilty for not knowing how to appreciate it. It barely tasted sweet.

"No. I'm from the other side of the pond, as people say here."

"An exchange student?"

"Something like that."

"At our school?"

"Yeah." She smiled apologetically. "But that's such a boring topic, don't you think? Or would you rather spend our whole date talking about paperwork and bureaucratic nonsense?"

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to know more about you."

"And that's adorable." This time she switched to the lemon tart. "But I'm boring. So let's talk about you instead. The boy who's determined to run me over at every intersection. What do you like to do?"

"Uh..." Mica took his first sip of coffee and immediately found himself missing the rich sweetness of milkshakes. "If we're talking boring, I'm probably worse. I like the usual stuff. Video games. TV shows…"

"Video games?" Rose's eyes lit up. "Awesome! What kind?"

"I'm a big RPG fan. Final Fantasy, that sort of thing."

"Ooh, I'm a huge Final Fantasy fan! You know... the one with that guy." She spiked her hair with her fingers. "And that enormous sword. You know who I mean."

"Cloud?"

"That's him! I love Cloud. He's so heroic."

"Yeah, I guess." Mica smiled. "What I like most is his backstory. The way he's living a lie because of his past. But my favorite is VIII. I know people say it's the worst one because of the battle system and the whole Junction mechanic... but I really love the characters."

"Ooh, absolutely. VIII is a gem."

Mica looked at her in disbelief.

"You've played it? For real?"

"Of course! I told you, I'm a huge fan."

"Wow... I've never met a girl who liked Final Fantasy. Well..." He scratched his cheek. "I know one, but..."

"See?" Rose grinned. "I told you I'm amazing."

"Heh..." Embarrassed, Mica quickly changed the subject. "So... what's your favorite moment in VIII?"

It was strange. Rose was beautiful—perhaps even more so than Cat—but she didn't feel nearly as unattainable. They both liked the same things he did, and with Cat he could already talk freely about almost anything without feeling nervous or embarrassed. Yet there was something about Rose... Something more. Something Mica couldn't quite put into words.

Rose rested her chin on one hand.

"Hmm... There are so many. The final battle, for one. And the moment the hero saves the girl."

"Oh, definitely. That's my favorite too. When Squall finally accepts that he loves Rinoa and goes after her."

"Isn't it romantic?" Rose asked dreamily. "He'll go anywhere for her. It doesn't matter how dangerous it is. He just goes. That's how it should be."

"I never saw that twist coming." Mica laughed. "Squall flying into space to rescue Rinoa from the Lunar Base... That was incredible."

"It really was." Rose took another sip of her tea. "So what else do you do? Do you have a creative side? Art? Writing? Photography?"

"Actually..." Mica smiled sheepishly. "I do write."

"I knew it!" Rose leaned forward. "I

knew

you were a writer. What do you write? What's your novel about?"

"That's..." Mica laughed nervously. "Kind of a hard question. It feels weird talking about it so openly. It's a story I've had in my head since I was really young. It's called

Legends

. It's fantasy."

"Fantasy?" Rose smiled even wider. "My favorite genre. Come on. Tell me what it's about."

"I really am embarrassed." Mica blushed.

"What?" Rose pretended to think. "Do I need to order another dessert before you'll tell me? I will, you know."

"No, no." Mica laughed. "It's okay."

At that moment, he finally understood. The difference between Cat and Rose. Why Rose felt like someone who might actually return his feelings. She showed a genuine—almost exaggerated—interest in everything he liked. He couldn't remember anyone ever asking so insistently about his novel.

"The main character is Karo. He's a swordsman. When he was young, his village was attacked by an incredibly powerful demon. But through fate—and an old prophecy—that demon ends up sealed inside his father's sword. After that, Karo becomes a demon hunter."

"Interesting." Rose smiled. "It almost sounds like you're describing a real video game."

"It is inspired by games," Mica admitted. "But it's an original story."

"I wasn't accusing you." She shook her head. "What I meant is... it already sounds like something written by a professional."

Mica felt his face grow even warmer.

"Well... Thanks."

"Go on."

"As Karo grows up, he meets Tenodecia, a young priestess he's assigned to protect during a mission. Later, he discovers they're actually brother and sister. Together with another demon hunter named Kawa, they learn that their world has fallen into ruin because an evil spirit named Ryoko, along with four other powerful demons, cast four curses over the continent."

"And why?" Rose asked immediately.

"Ryoko feeds on misery. Death. Disease. Suffering. They're what keep him alive. So it's less about wanting to conquer the world and more about survival."

"I like that." She nodded thoughtfully. "It makes him much more interesting."

"Karo swears he'll stop Ryoko after he kidnaps his sister. So he begins hunting down the demons maintaining each of the curses."

"Oh!"

"And Karo isn't special just because he's the protagonist. He's one of the Marked. People who come into contact with demons during childhood and inherit their powers. It's... kind of complicated. There are a lot more things going on." He smiled awkwardly. "But I don't want to spend the whole..." He hesitated over the word. "...date... boring you with all this."

Rose laughed softly.

"I'm the one who asked, remember? I'm interested. Your ability to create stories, to imagine things, to bring ideas into the real world. I find that incredibly attractive."

The instant she said

attractive

, Mica felt his face burn.

"Would you let me read it someday? I'd really like to."

"Of course." He answered almost too quickly. "I'd... I'd love for you to read it."

"Perfect!" Rose stood up. "Then let's go. I'll ask for the check and..."

"Go?" Mica blinked. "Go where?"

"To your house." She smiled as though it were the most natural thing in the world. "I want to read your book."

------------------------------------------------------------------

Every alarm bell in Mica's head went off the moment Rose suggested going to his house. He barely knew her. They'd only met twice. When he really thought about it he hardly knew anything about her. But she wanted to read his story. She wanted to spend time with him. She was genuinely interested in him. How could someone so adorable possibly be dangerous?

The thought crossed his mind for only an instant before he dismissed it. And that was how he found himself walking home with Rose at his side.

His mind was a whirlwind of nerves. Not because he felt in danger, but because he was embarrassed.

What would his parents say? What excuse could he come up with? Would his mother get upset? What would Rose think of his house? His family? At least she'd probably like Alexander. But what about his room? His room had to be a mess. What was he going to tell Hugo and Cat tomorrow? Would he tell Cat? What would Cat think of Rose?

Lost in his thoughts, he almost didn't notice Rose suddenly stop walking.

"What is—?" Mica cut himself off. For the briefest instant, a look of pure horror crossed Rose's face.

"Nothing." She immediately forced her usual bright smile back into place. "Sorry. I just remembered something really important I have to do. I'm so sorry. We'll see each other later, okay? Tomorrow. I'll come by your school."

"Yeah... tomorrow. Are you sure you're—?"

"Yeah, yeah." She sounded nervous. She couldn't stop looking straight ahead. "Bye."

"See you tomorrow."

With that, she hurried off in the opposite direction, disappearing around the next corner.

Mica looked ahead, toward whatever had frightened her so badly. He didn't see anything unusual. At least, nothing that could explain a reaction like that. Just groups of people walking up and down the street, going in and out of the different shops.

Then one man caught his attention.

He was tall and athletic, probably somewhere in his twenties. He wore a short-sleeved black shirt left open over a white hoodie. Long blond hair spilled out from beneath a baseball cap that matched his sporty sunglasses. One hand rested in his pocket. The other held a cigarette. He didn't look particularly dangerous. Just... unfriendly.

The man walked right past Mica at an unhurried pace.

He didn't say a word. He didn't even look at him. It was as though Mica wasn't there. As though he'd imagined a threat simply because of Rose's reaction.

That had to be it. There was nothing strange going on. Maybe Rose had been telling the truth when she said she'd forgotten something important.

Convinced of that, Mica continued on his way home.