Part Sixteen: Me for Me

"Hey, Ayame-chan," Nozomi said, putting his phone towards his ear, "Tamashi says he wants to go on another date with you tomorrow. You game?"

"I don't have anything planned, sure," the oni girl said, "Don't expect me to dress fancy next time, alright?"

"I won't," Tamashi said, "She still looks stunning anyways."

"He won't," Nozomi relayed, chuckling to himself.

'You got a time in mind?' Nozomi asked his Echo.

"Gotta be 11 PM," Tamashi said, "Nighttime dates are where true feelings come forth."

'Man, you better not be planning on doing anything weird in my mindscape,' Nozomi rolled his eyes.

"Wh- me? Defile Ayame?" Tamashi stammered, taken aback, "Never."

"Does 11 PM work for you?" he asked Ayame.

"It's a date," she giggled, hanging up the phone.

"I heard that, you know," a blue and pink-haired woman went up to Ayame, "You know you should tell your mama things like this."

"I know, it's just embarrassing," Ayame smiled to herself, "He's a really good guy, though. He likes me for me."

"Well, if it's like that, I can't be too mad at you," the woman beamed, "What's he like?"

"Hmm…" Ayame thought for a moment, "He's quite the mysterious one. Troubled past and all. But if you met him you wouldn't be able to tell at all, since he's completely moved on from it. He kind of reminds me of myself in that way.

"Oh, and he's very kind and hospitable, too," she added, "And the reason he fell in love with me is heartwarming as well."

"I see," the woman grinned, "I can't believe you're growing up so fast…"

"Come on, don't think of it that way," Ayame giggled, "You should be happy for me."

"I am," the woman said, leaning in for a hug, "I am happy for you. I love you, Ayame."

"I love you too, Nana-mama," Ayame leaned into the hug, blushing. A tear even began to flow down her cheek as the two held each other for what seemed like an eternity.

...

"Yo, wake up!" Tamashi urged, "I've got another date with Ayame!"

'Bro…' Nozomi groaned in disbelief, 'It's 3 in the fuckin' morning and your date is at 9 PM. So please. Let me get some sleep.'

Nozomi rolled over in his bed, groggily opening his eyes slightly. He noticed a letter on the floor. It seemed that he had received a letter sometime during the night. Tiredly stumbling to his feet, he slowly leaned down and picked up the letter, fumbling at its folds until it opened. And what he found woke him up.

"We invite you to attend the wedding of Gawr Gura and Amelia Watson… wait, that date is tomorrow!" Nozomi panicked.

Nozomi quickly grabbed his phone, slowly becoming more and more stressed, possibly due to a lack of sleep. < We haven't even had rehearsal, yet the wedding is tomorrow?!> Nozomi quickly typed and sent to Gura.

<god man its 3 am> she typed in response, < dont worry weve got everything under control. your job is just to be there>

'How can she be so calm…?' Nozomi's breathing began to become normal again. All of a sudden, however, Nozomi passed out into a deep sleep.

"You're such a loser, Nozomi," Tamashi quipped, quickly drifting off to sleep along with his Echo.

...

'You ready, Tamashi?' Nozomi asked.

"Hell yeah I am!" Tamashi hyped himself up, "Let's do this!"

Nozomi opened the door to the meeting room, finding Ayame in her usual red and black oni garb, with a small oni mask on the left side of her head.

"Hey, Ayame-chan," Nozomi waved, "You ready?"

"I think so," she looked at the boy eagerly, "Is it gonna hurt again?"

"Yeah, probably," Nozomi admitted, "I still get headaches when Tamashi summons me to the mindscape."

"Ugh," she groaned before cracking a wide grin, "It's worth it, though."

Nozomi chuckled and extended a hand. Ayame returned the favor, as the two shared a firm handshake. And, as expected, Ayame felt a jolt in her forehead. Putting her hand to her head and slowly falling to the ground, her vision began to fade.

...

She woke up in the same void she found herself in last time, with only herself and a small light being visible. Smiling, she walked over to the light and took a seat at the same chair that she did when she went on her first date with Tamashi. Speaking of, he was adjacent to the girl, pouring her a cup of tea.

"Ayame-chan, you look stunning as always," he complimented.

"Ha, stop with the flattery," Ayame giggled, "How's life been?"

"Eh, it's been so-so," Tamashi responded, "I've been missing my physical form, though."

"There any chance you'll be able to get it back?" Ayame questioned.

"There might, if everything is sorted out in that other world," Tamashi informed, "For now, though, I have to focus on supporting Nozomi in any way I can."

"I see," Ayame nodded, taking a sip from the teacup Tamashi poured for her, "I wish you luck on that, then."

"Yeah," Tamashi grinned, pouring a cup of tea for himself, "And what of yourself?"

"Hmm…" Ayame thought for a moment, "Oh yeah, my mama overheard me talking about you today."

"Your… mama…?" Tamashi repeated, "Didn't your mom…"

"Oh, not that mom," Ayame shook her head, "Her name's Kagura Nana. When I came to the human realm, she helped me out, and she's been with me ever since."

"Ah, I see," Tamashi took a sip of tea, "What's she like?"

"Very caring," Ayame described, "She's the type you wouldn't expect to have a motherly aura from a glance, but she definitely does once you get to know her."

"And what does she know about me?" Tamashi asked.

"Not much," Ayame replied nonchalantly, "I told her a bit about you, though."

"What did you say?" Tamashi smirked.

"I… uh…" Ayame stammered for a while, blushing slightly, "I said you were kind and hospitable… and you had an air of mysteriousness… and that you liked me for me."

"I do," Tamashi said, also blushing to himself.

"Do you really?" Ayame questioned, getting up to her feet. She walked over to the boy, sitting next to him in the chair as she put her head on his shoulder.

"Yeah, I really do," Tamashi pulled her closer to him, embracing her for quite a while, "Some could say I'm head-over-heels in love. Nozomi certainly would."

"Haha… you're funny, Tamashi…" Ayame giggled, looking up to gaze into the boy's orange eyes. Tamashi did this in return, getting lost in the oni girl's deep red oculi. Without knowing it, the two came closer to each other, being lost in the moment. Closing their eyes and holding their hands together, they touched lips. It wasn't an awkward kiss, nor was it an aggressive one, but merely a long show of affection to demonstrate their passion for each other. After a minute or so of being in this position, Ayame drew back.

"Jeez," she giggled to herself, "It's only our second date and we've already moved on to physical affection?"

"Sorry about that, I got swept up in the moment, and I…" Tamashi apologized, before being cut off by another quick kiss from the oni girl.

"No need to be sorry," she said, getting up, "I enjoyed it, too."

"I assume you're ready to head back, then?" Tamashi said smiling.

"I can't say I want to, but I probably should," Ayame nodded.

"In that case, see you soon, Ayame-chan," Tamashi grinned as he took another sip from his tea, "You're welcome back anytime."

After he said this, Ayame felt another jolt at her head, as her vision began to fade.

...

Nozomi looked up to see Ayame slowly getting up, putting her hand to her head. Nozomi went over and stretched a hand to help her up.

"Hey, how was it?" he asked, helping the oni girl to her feet.

"I enjoyed myself," Ayame smiled warmly, "Maybe you and Roboco could double-date with us some time."

"Tamashi's said that before, too," Nozomi groaned, "Maybe you two really are perfect for each other."

"Haha, maybe," she muttered to herself, blushing slightly and leaving the room.

"You know when you're so happy you just can't contain it?" Tamashi asked his Echo.

'Yeah, I know that feeling,' Nozomi nodded.

"This is one of those times, Nozomi," Tamashi informed, sounding as if he's holding himself back, "Here's what happened…"

...

Ayame stuck a key into the door to her small apartment. Much to her surprise, all the lights were off. She looked around for the lightswitch, fumbling around in the dark. After much searching, she flicked the switch, revealing Nana in a chair with her arms crossed.

"Where were you off to so late, young lady?" she interrogated.

"Oh, I was, uh…" Ayame stammered, before sighing and looking down, "I was on a date with that boy I told you about yesterday…"

"That's what I thought," Nana sighed, "He treated you with respect? And he didn't pull anything weird?"

"No, he's not like that, mama," Ayame shook her head.

"Then I have nothing to worry about," Nana's frown dissipated, transforming into her familiar smile, "I can't baby you forever. You're an adult now, and you're able to make your own decisions."

"I know, but…" Ayame trailed off, "Promise me you'll be there?"

"I promise, Ayame," Nana replied, pulling Ayame into a hug, "I won't leave you."

...

"So, 001 has merged with 000," a boy in blue armor pondered, "This is indeed troublesome."

"Why can't he see what we're doing is right?!" the boy in the lab coat said through gritted teeth, "I can't believe this apostatic fool!"

"He'll see the error of his ways soon enough," the boy in blue assured, "Still, it would've been beneficial if any of us were able to merge with him rather than 001."

"You're right," the lab coat nodded, slowly calming down, "It's a waste. A pathetic waste, at that. And 001 will regret turning his blade on us. I swear it on Ito Ikuma's name!"