Ch 61 - The Girl I Like Pt. 4

"Yay! Can't wait to see what Shion-chan will think about it!" Subaru said while stretching as she walked alongside Shiro.

The dress they bought for Shion was a white dress with frills at the sleeves and a few violet gradient circles in a symmetrical pattern. Shiro originally thought it was too simple, but because Subaru found Shion to be very cute, she needed something that could make even Shiro want to pat her from the cuteness.

"Well...if I'll be honest, Subaru, she's not gonna like this." Shiro giggled nervously.

"Eh?! After all that time spent in picking a good dress, you're gonna say that?!"

"Oh no. I meant in the sense that she won't like it due to embarrassment. The fact that we got her a very cute dress might make her flustered as hell. Though...I'm pretty sure deep down inside, she's the happiest girl on earth." Shiro smiled and chuckled.

The two continued to search around for a choker and flowers. Shiro bought a flashy bouquet of flowers as well as a choker that had a silver cross on it. "Perfect", he thought when he found it. He didn't know why, but seeing a flustered Calli gave him a good chuckle. Calli's reactions always amused him due to it being funny and cute.

"These flowers suit Calli-chan real nicely! Sometimes I feel a bit jealous that you're going out of your way for all of them."

"Eh? Why?"

'...WAIT WAIT WAIT, DON'T TELL ME SHE...No no, that's not possible. Until I get confirmation, I can't assume that she's jealous because she likes me.' Shiro thought as he put his hand on his mouth and blushed.

"Well…" Subaru looked away and blushed a bit.

"Hmm?"

"...Say, Shiro. If I ever reach a milestone, or if it's my birthday...or just any special day I have in general, will you also buy me something? Or better yet, take me to somewhere special?"

Shiro's heart skipped a beat from the question. He audibly breathed in and had to calm himself down. Not three seconds in, and he started to sweat.

'Calm down, Shiro. Calm down. Oh man, am I actually able to court her sooner? FUCK YEAH! Wait...argh, don't get assumptions yet. Don't matter if you're a dense anime MC or shit, if she never explicitly stated it out loud yet, it's not official.'

"O-Of course. You're my friend, after all." Shiro said.

"...Hehe. Somehow, I expected that from you...but thank you very much, Shiro. I'll be looking forward to it. It means a lot to me, you know?" Subaru smiled and buried her face in the bouquet for Calli.

Shiro looked forward and breathed in and out slowly. No words could express how ecstatic he was at this moment. If he could, he would like to court her right there, right now. But it wasn't the time yet. After all, he still needed to take her out on more dates and make more memories with her. Hell, he still needed to collab with her in Hololive, seeing that he could collab with anybody now.

"It's about time we should go home now. Let's go, ey?"

"Yup!"

Of course, Shiro was still on guard like before, but he still didn't see where Reine and Ina were. He could sense the presence, but the huge crowd and the harmless aura they had made them almost invisible unless Shiro really looked within the crowd and saw them.

It doesn't help the fact that they didn't even have bloodlust, and that made finding them harder for Shiro.

'...I guess we're coming out of the mall unscathed.' Shiro chuckled and smirked.

They took a taxi back home peacefully and breathed a huge sigh of relief, knowing they were done with what they had to do. They even chatted for a bit and exchanged giggles from it. However…

"THAT! PLEASE TAIL THAT CAR RIGHT THERE!" Reine said as she pointed to the taxi Shiro and Subaru rode.

"...But-"

"DO. IT." Ina and Reine stared at the taxi driver with their eyes giving off a slight red glow. If looks could kill, the driver would've already become mincemeat. He let out a high pitched squeal from it and hit the gas pedal immediately.

"O-ON IT!" He sobbed.

After they arrived back at the school, Shiro and Subaru first went to Shion's room. Before she would do her special stream, he had to ensure he gave her the gift beforehand so that she could continue on with the stream, especially knowing that most of these types of streams are held at evening time, and Shiro doesn't really stay up late unless it's part of his schedule.

"Here, Shion. Me and Subaru bought this for you." Shiro held out his gift to Shion.

"Eh? A-A dress?!"

"Yeah. Subaru helped me pick it, and she thought it'd suit you. Do you like it?" Shiro asked.

"Um…" Shion stood there, holding the dress and stared at its beautiful frills and design, looking up and down. She may not have voiced it, but Shiro saw her eyes light up. This gave him a chuckle.

"I'm pretty sure you like it! It looks cute, you know? I bet you a lot of boys would think the same if you wore it in public!" Subaru said.

"E-Eh?! No way in hell am I wearing this in public! I-It's embarrassing!" Shion blushed and held the dress down.

"Yeah, yeah. Just know that you can always wear it when you want to, Shion. You know, as a guy, I can see how that'd fit you, you know?"

"E-Eh? Really?"

"Yeah."

Shion stared at Shiro for a bit and looked back at the dress.

"...Well, I don't know about you all, but I don't know if I can wear this anytime soon...S-Still, I appreciate it greatly, Shiro! It looks really nice!"

"Mhmm. Well, no matter what your tsundere ass says, I'm sure you'll wear it sooner or later."

"H-HEY! I'M NOT A TSUNDERE!" Shion said.

"Eh?~~ You're a tsundere, Shion-chan?~" Subaru got closer to Shion and poked her arms playfully. Shion growled like a lion and turned ever so red by the second.

"HEY! I'LL RIP THIS DRESS OUT!"

"HEY, DON'T! SHIRO BOUGHT THAT FOR YOU!"

"I DON'T CARE! I'LL RIP THIS APART IF YOU WON'T SHUT UP!" Shion grabbed the dress at the hip part and put her hands together like she was gonna rip it like a sheet of paper.

"STOP IT!" Subaru held her hands as the two fought for the dress with their conflicting goals.

Shiro sighed from this. "Sheesh, what a tsundere garlic. Welp, I'm sure she actually likes it, deep down inside." He said to himself.

Time passed, Shiro took his dinner, and he went up to Calli's room for a collab stream. Of course, it was quite the hype since it was the two HoloRappers, and of course, Fubuki would be in the group, but this is about the two actual artists who rap for a living. Prior to streaming, he gave Calli the bouquet and choker.

Calli wanted to drink wine actually, and so did Shiro, but they ditched it because the stream was about Shiro teaching Calli how to freestyle. If it was any other stream, they could just sit back, relax, and drink like a camel, but freestyle rapping required mental focus. Shiro may have gotten to the point where he can be chillax as he freestyled, but Calli hasn't developed that skill yet.

More or less, Shiro taught Calli everything he streamed on his first week of streaming. He slipped in a few of his special techniques however.

"So, we have the rhymes, punchlines, and wordplay, right? That's done. If you ever run out of ideas, just literally bite off of your own songs or unreleased lyrics. There's absolutely no shame in it, Calls. I used to do it all the time. Hell, Juice WRLD used to do it a lot of times, and I considered him one of the best freestylers ever."

"Really?"

"Yeah. That's honestly just it, really...matter of fact, I don't think this could count as a personal technique of mine. However, it does help a lot in freestyles. With that done...let's pull up "DEAD BEATS". ey? It's a good enough track to freestyle on, knowing your style of rapping."

"Yeah. I mean, boom bap rap is nice, but I don't know if my flow could work well with it." Calli remarked, giggling nervously.

"Oh, and don't forget what I taught you, alright? You just came up with 8 words earlier. I even helped you with the rhymes. Just look back on the paper right here. No shame in using all the tools you have. Don't push yourself too much. Just have fun and freestyle to the best of your abilities, aight?"

"Sure, Shi."

Calli located her "DEAD BEATS" instrumental in her music files, and once it played, Calli went and — like Shiro said, — "have fun and freestyle to the best of her abilities".

[Intro]

("(Dead beats, lurkin' now.) x3."

"Dead beats, lock it down.") x2"

[Verse 1]

"Kinda 'stir-crazy', you heard this. Calli is-"

"-crazy. Kawaii shinigami at your service."

"I may look dumb on the surface. But-"

"-so will you once I show you what hurt is.~"

"Calli is crazy. I'm with Shiro."

"We're so fire. Packing all the heat, yo."

"Uh, yeah. Uh. I don't know-"

"-what to say. But you know that this is the day-" (Calli and Shiro laugh while Shiro claps)

"-that I go wild. And this is just honesty."

"C-A-Double L-I-O-P-E."

"I'm having fun. I don't care what I'm saying."

"But anyway. Back on topic.~"

"You look killable. I think I like you.~"

"Wanna stick Shiro's gun deep inside you.~ And my-"

"-five soot fythe-ABLABLA, I fucked up!" (Shiro and Calli laugh)

"Kinda like your body once I slice it up!"

[Chorus]

"Lock it down!~" (Shiro screams and claps at Calli's save)

"So when you bitches need me call!~"

"I'll make 'em wish they never lived at all!~"

"Just leave it all to us, cuz in the end-"

"We on another level, when the dust settles:"

"An actual scene outta hell! Lock it-"

"-down.~"

"Your time is due, so duty calls!~"

"I'm making sure I'm reaping it all!~"

"Just leave it all to me, cuz in the end-"

"Not a lot the opposers can say to-"

"-counterpoint the wise-ass word of Shiro-sensei!"

And Calli stopped the music there, breathing slightly heavy from that spontaneous mind game.

"WOOOO!!" Calli shouted while putting her arms in the air

"LET'S GO, CALLS!!!!" Shiro did the same while clapping.

"DAMN, SHI. I MAY HAVE MESSED UP, BUT THAT WAS AWESOME!!!" Calli went and wrapped her arms around Shiro tight, pulling him into an almost inescapable hug.

"Mhmm. You did good. Actually, that's a bit off. You did amazing!" Shiro patted her back, making Calli let go and facing the screen again.

"Man...that was crazy. I did not think I could actually do that. But uh...oh wow, Shi. I can't believe I actually did that. Thank you very much for the help!"

"Ah shucks, Calls. You learned hella quick. But nonetheless, I think that ends that part, really. We can just relax and just chat. We just finished that in 40 minutes. How about just vibing with the chat and stuff, ey?"

"Sure. Man, all that freestyling and practice beforehand was tiring, I would like to drink some cold coke. Want some too? I got a couple in my fridge."

"Err, nah. Can I have some water though? Preferably lukewarm 'cause I don't like it too cold."

"Sure, Shi."

When Calli came back with her coke and Shiro's requested lukewarm water, they took a sip of their respective drinks.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to say, guys. Shi is very sweet! He gifted me a choker and a bouquet, and I really really like it."

"Yeah, you seemed hella happy when I showed it to you and instantly wanted to try on the choker. I'm really glad you liked it."

Shiro chuckled and took another sip of his water while Calli did the same with her coke.

"Say, Shi."

"Yeah?" Shiro said, taking the glass off for a moment before drinking more of his water.

"You know guys, you may or may not know…I think Shiro mentioned this since I saw a clip of it once, but Shiro's scar looks quite cool, not gonna lie."

That sudden statement made Shiro spit out a bit of some water on the table but not on the computer. He had to cover his mouth in a split-second to prevent further spilling of water.

"Oh jeez, Shi! Sorry, was that uncalled for?" Calli asked while giggling a lot, even putting in a few snickers.

"N-Nah, it's okay, Calls. Just a bit surprised is all. That was just so out of the blue, I didn't expect it at all." Shiro chuckled a bit while wiping his mouth.

"I-I'm very sorry. I just genuinely like it. You know, it's sorta like those soldiers who come back alive with reminders of their battles, you know? T-That's how I imagined it. I didn't mean it in a bad way." Calli tucked in her shoulders and dug her face in his shoulders.

"Hey, hey. It's fine. No need to apologize. You're overreacting a bit." Shiro giggled nervously.

In actuality though, Shiro was a bit hurt, but not because of Calli's remark. Shiro still gets reminders of his past from it, like his mom's betrayal and how this affected his emotional and mental state, especially his attitude towards women.

But Shiro shook it off and decided to keep Calli happy. The mood was already so bright, so cheerful, so cozy. He didn't plan to screw it up and pull it into a 180. The whole night, Calli and Shiro exchanged stories of their past and even talked with the chat about it. Just fun memories they have huge nostalgia for. Calli talked about hanging out with her past friends, and Shiro talked about the time he hung out with his squad and especially him, Subaru, and Hanako.

"...You know, Shi, you're a really kind guy. Kinda reminds me of my uh...my first...love."

"Eh? Your first love? Like a guy you liked, or…"

"A-A person I liked before. You see…"

Calli started telling the whole story from start to end. Long story short, she had somebody she liked before, and because this person was so kind and was like her best bud, she fell in love and had to give that somebody a gift, which was Frank Ocean's album named, "Channel Orange". Timeskip to a New Year's party they both attended, and that someone kissed someone else in front of her.

"It was...heartbreaking, to say the least. But I moved on. You know, I thought that would be my first and last love...maybe. You know, it's kinda hard to make relationships work, but I experienced all sorts of love throughout my journey in becoming an adult shinigami. I got friends, family, and all these wonderful people in my life. I'm glad to have you as a friend, Shi. You're a really nice friend. I don't regret anything."

"Aw, thanks, Calls."

"Well uh...anyway, I once heard that you had a girlfriend for 1 month, right? What was...your experience? Like...was it good? Did it suck? What did you do? Just anything like that."

"Hmm...Well, the start was nice, but it fucking sucked at the end. We broke up with the most sucky of circumstances." Shiro chuckled and Calli gave a small giggle from it while taking a sip of her coke.

"Though, if we're talking about the in-betweens of it, like the dates and such...it's a bit embarrassing to admit, but I'm actually a really clingy and protective person." Shiro laughed a bit, and Calli followed up with the same reaction.

"Like, I may not look like it, but I wanna snuggle in my girlfriend's hair or lay down with my head on her lap pillow. I also keep her close and check my surroundings every now and then to make sure no threats could touch her."

"J-Jeez, I mean, I knew you were a past soldier, but damn, that's more than overprotective." Calli laughed and clapped.

"Ahaha, well...I mean, I can let her do whatever she wanted. It's not like I have any control over her life. If she wanted to hang out with her male friends, I'd let her. She wants to go alone to the movies? I'll let her. But if I can sense something is wrong, I'd instantly get my 'protective boyfriend' mode on." Shiro chuckled a bit.

"And I think people can see this already, even from like...the time when I helped Rushia with her family situation. But that's actually how I am. You know, I recall that one time where my ex had her period, and before that, I noticed that she didn't have any maxi pads anywhere, so…" Shiro said casually as Calli laughed hard once more.

"You what?! Checked for her maxi pads?!"

"Hey, I was quite observant, okay? I liked checking my surroundings for a lot of stuff. Don't ask me why. But back on topic, when her period came and she said she didn't have any, I literally told her, "Hey, I'm gonna buy you some maxi pads at the store. Wait up. This'll be quick.", so I dashed like a motherfucker, bought it, and then sprinted back to the house. Of course, I backed away after that, since she wasn't really 'calm' during that time." Shiro chuckled.

"Mannnn. Chat, you guys may not know this, but us ladies really appreciate it when you not only know when our periods come, but even help us when we're having hell in our bed. Props to you, Shi. I bet she really appreciated that."

Calli and Shiro kept having a fun time, so fun that they didn't realize the stream had finally passed to 1 hour and 30 minutes. They decided to call it a day and end the stream there. Good memories were both made and recalled, good vibes lingered in the air, and good lessons were learned that night.

"Damn, I had a ton of fun, Callsss!!!" Shiro stretched as he stood up.

"Me too, Shi...Thank you very much for that talk."

Calli looked up at Shiro and gave him a wide smile. Shiro saw this and thought nothing of it at first, but when he looked back at her face, it was a wide smile that looked like she was relieved. Though, he didn't know why. One thought in mind though was that it may have been about their talk about their love life. And so, he asked her.

"About what? Our past love?"

"Yeah. You know, who would've thought you would be the type to be actually really friendly?"

"Hmm, who knows? I just love helping people."

"...Say, Shi."

"Yeah?"

"Soon enough, I want the both of us to make a lot of memories soon. Of course, I'd like it if the both of us become famous Virtual rappers soon, but you're a really great friend, Shi. Really. I don't want you to forget about me, nor do I want to forget about you."

Calli grabbed Shiro's right hand and wrapped her pinky around his pinky, with Shiro going with the flow of it all.

"Promise me you'll stick with me even after we make it big, alright?"

"Pinky promise."

"M-Might be cringy, but...wanna do the ol' "yubikiri"?

"Sure."

"Yubikiri genman, uso tsuitara hari senbon nomasu. Yubi kitta! (Pinky promise, if you tell a lie, swallow a thousand needles and cut off my fingers. Pinky promise made!)"

It ended with the two laughing off from the goofy and childish Japanese tradition of pinky promises, and Shiro went back downstairs to sleep. He needed rest for the next day to exercise, after all.

~April 08, 2021 6:10 AM~

The sun rose at the horizon slowly but beautifully, shining upon Tokyo city with clouds scattered along the sky. Despite the warmth of the sun, the presence of the lingering cold from last night could still be felt greatly.

Fewer cars were still present at this time, making it perfect for exercising at a relatively early time. Shiro and Korone started their usual routine of jogging towards the park and doing a couple loops. However, after the 4th loop, Shiro slowed down and jogged towards the bench they usually sit at.

"S-Shiro-kun? W-Why're you stopping? Did you already get tired?"

"Well, you brought the pads and gloves, right?"

"Y-Yeah…"

"Today, we're gonna skip my usual routine and practice our martial arts. We'll teach other a thing or two about some techniques, and apply them afterwards. I'll also be harsh during this training. And if my memory serves me right, you asked for this."

"E-Eh? What do you mean?"

"Let me ask you, Korone. Why did you start boxing?"

"Eh? Well, I just wanted to stay fit as well as learn martial arts…"

"Well, that's understandable. Matter of fact, that's one of the main reasons why people would want to train in martial arts. Some do it as a lifestyle, some do it as a hobby, some do it to improve themselves, and some do it just for the hell of it. However, this reason both counts as a viable reason as well as what martial arts is all about. Self-defense."

"I don't care if you do it for the sport, the art, or for street fights, but Korone, didn't you say in one of our training sessions that you wanted to learn more about fighting, as well as the dangers of learning something like Kali? Something which I already said, unless you wish to use it for self-defense or hurting a person, you should not proceed casually?"

Korone stared at Shiro, realizing what she actually got herself into. There, she got the same adrenaline as she would in a real fight — her hands shook, her breathing became a bit heavier, and her legs were ready for fight or flight. Even though Shiro never had the intent to fight her seriously, she couldn't help but feel imaginary danger.

"You were so eager when you asked me to teach you some techniques that time. But you seem a bit different right now though...Do you happen to be scared?"

"N-No, I'm not scared-"

"Yet I can see you're visibly shaking. You seem stiff. If you're scared of what I can do, just know I have no intent to kill you. I'm your friend, you know? But ignore that, you're scared of even a friend who has no intent to kill you. How much more if it's a stranger? And you expect yourself to pound anybody in a fight, especially when I taught you dangerous techniques?"

"That's exactly why I'm doing this. You even asked for knife defenses, and even then, I always told you that it won't work most of the time since you'll surely get cut. So lemme ask again. You can always back down and we'll continue our usual training, but are you willing to spar with all the techniques I taught you?" Shiro continued.

He stood there, still waiting for her reply. He honestly could wait for a little longer, but the time pressure was there. He waited for her to give a simple "yes" or "no".

"...I'll do it."

"You will? Are you sure?"

"Yes. However, I will say this, Shiro-kun. I don't wish to learn these for the sake of killing others. I merely did boxing as a sport and a fun hobby. Self-defense was just a byproduct of this. I want you to still keep teaching me some Taekwondo, Kali, and all that, but just know that I won't be going down the same path as you — rather, can't go down the same path. It's just not possible for me." Korone giggled a bit.

"But don't get me wrong. I know you're looking out for me. I'm a girl, and I also might not be able to withstand a long fight, but I can hold out on my own. You're here, anyway. Worst comes to worst, I can fight my way out of it. Now...I'll go through this harsh training for today!"

Shiro smirked and chuckled. "Why did I even bother asking that if I knew you would reply that way? Don't expect me to hold back when kicking or punching you though. Condition your body to withstand the worst of pains."