"Why do I have to work part-time?!"
Clinging to this question, Jibril stared back at Sū ěr in confusion. The heaping spoonful of ice cream she'd just scooped out remained suspended; she hadn't put it in her mouth, and the edges were already beginning to melt.
"Is working fun?" A split second before the melting ice cream could drip onto her clothes, Jibril nimbly dodged the stain and turned back to Sū ěr.
"It's pretty fun. Watching your savings grow bit by bit is quite satisfying," Sū ěr replied after a moment's thought.
[That's right. You've grown up without us noticing. It's time you took some responsibility for this family, Little~ Gibby~ Meow~]
This was pure mockery. Think knew exactly what Jibril older sister, the one who always clung to her, was like. Deliberately imitating Azriel's verbal tic to call Jibril affectionately was not out of fondness, but a desire to disgust the Flügel who was wearing her face.
It was super effective.
"You want to fight?!" Queen Jibril was indeed enraged. Even though she was currently wearing a mature appearance, she was still the same child-like Flügel inside.
However, she still knew what her biggest advantage was.
Watching Jibril give a cold smirk and then scoot her chair closer to him, Sū ěr had a premonition that something bad was about to happen. But before he could stand up and use the excuse of paying the bill to escape, Jibril grabbed his arm. She leaned in so quickly that her breath almost touched his face—and then she gave him a lick.
It was like a sudden breeze, a flash of lightning across the sky—so fast Sū ěr didn't have time to react. The restaurant's air conditioning was pumping cool air into the room this warm spring day, and on the spot where she had licked his cheek, there was a persistent chilly sensation.
The moisture Jibril had deliberately left behind hadn't dried yet.
[I'M GOING TO TEAR HER MOUTH OFF!!!]
Despite being a fleshless soul, Think felt as if invisible blood were erupting from where her heart should be, rushing to her brain. Honestly, she felt dizzy with rage.
"Let's go, let's go! The movie is about to start!!"
Sū ěr stood up abruptly, urging them along.
The fair face before him still wore a smug smile; Jibril was celebrating another victory. Sū ěr had seen this exact cunning expression on Think own face before, but usually only after she had successfully pranked an enemy or Jibril. Sū ěr could hardly tell if Jibril was still "imitating" Think or just being herself.
He was practically fleeing, even though nothing was chasing him. It wasn't until they were in their theater seats and the lights went down, leaving them in the darkness waiting for the screen to light up, that Sū ěr finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Three seats. It wasn't "only two seats" as Jibril had smugly told Think. Sū ěr sat in the middle, Jibril on his right, and the seat on his left remained empty.
He hadn't chosen the romance films usually preferred by young couples on dates. Instead, Sū ěr had settled on an animated movie. Such films were very common in this country. The plot wasn't exactly groundbreaking—just a story about two kids growing up together, going on an adventure, and finding friendship and success.
Unlike her constant bickering with Think before the show, Jibril became the most focused of the three once the movie started. Knowing the overall personality and hobbies of the Flügel, Sū ěr had thought Jibril wouldn't be interested in a "soft" story without war or slaughter.
Even after Tet divine power vanished, she had never told Sū ěr what she did after he left. All Sū ěr knew was that Jibril had spent three thousand years alone.
Three thousand years. That vast span of time was almost unimaginable to the current Sū ěr. That number was enough for countless generations to live and die, for dynasties to rise and fall. All emotions, when stretched across such a long time, take on the same steely hue; what remains is either resilience or an obsession.
Sū ěr had indeed been secretly curious about how Jibril spent those three thousand years. Sitting beside her now, he could feel the intangible changes in her, but he couldn't know the process. When Sū ěr had quietly asked Tet about it before he dissipated, the Old Deus—who had only appeared because Sū ěr himself had pulled him out—laughed at him: "If you want to know, ask her yourself."
But Jibril wouldn't say a word! She would just suddenly flush with embarrassment and shame, then kick Sū ěr shin as hard as she could without saying another syllable.
Curiosity kept scratching at Sū ěr mind.
The story in the movie seemed to have reached the climactic finale. The music grew stirring, and the male and female leads delivered dialogue full of determination and typical Japanese "Chuunibyou" flair. Sū ěr realized he had been zoning out for nearly the entire movie.
Could this really be called a "date"?
He compared it to the stories he'd read, and even briefly recalled his own adult dating and romance experiences from the world where nothing supernatural happened... Sū ěr suddenly realized those memories were already blurry. Looking back, they didn't stir much emotion.
Everything from that original world had been deliberately forgotten and worn away during his initial struggle for survival after crossing over. Compared to the peaceful, friendly dating memories of that world, today's date was more like a war.
The war between Think and Jibril, with him caught in the middle, struggling to please both... Sū ěr couldn't help but snort, which earned him a sharp, accusatory look from Jibril, who was watching intently. Since she still wore Think face, that sharp gaze looked even more like the real Think.
But if he were asked if he was truly "exhausted" by this war, the answer was no. Even when Jibril acted provocatively and Think retaliated in a rage, leaving Sū ěr with a massive headache as he tried to stop them both...
Sū ěr knew why this was happening. Why they wouldn't stop arguing.
Because there were two of them, and only one of him. And he wasn't willing to let go of either one.
Sū ěr was more greedy than anyone.