"It's so beautiful..."
Gazing at the scenery below with an admiring look, Lisbeth was captivated by how stunning the sight was at night time.
Currently, she and Shido were standing on the observation deck of Tokyo Tower, taking in the breathtaking nighttime view of the city. From there, they could see an endless sea of twinkling lights stretching toward the horizon, the winding rivers reflecting the glow of the streetlamps, and the tiny moving dots of cars far below like fireflies drifting along the streets of Tokyo.
"Yeah, but you're actually more beautiful."
Standing beside her, Shido said those words while gazing at Lisbeth, whose cheeks turned pink from embarrassment, yet she was clearly happy to hear his praise. In that moment, all the envy she felt earlier, watching how sweet Asuna and Kirito were, faded away and was replaced entirely by Shido's presence in her mind.
"Baa! Who are you kidding? That's not enough to sweet-talk me." Lisbeth turned her head away with a snort. Though, even when she said that, her expression said otherwise, that's why she turned her face away, she didn't want Shido to see how red her cheeks had become.
Hearing her reply, Shido simply shook his head, already used to her tsundere side. The two of them fell quiet after that, but the silence didn't diminish the romantic atmosphere between them in the slightest.
Shido smoothly reached out and took one of Lisbeth's hands, holding it gently. The gesture made her shy, yet she couldn't help but smile. In return, she squeezed his hand a little tighter. Even though she was embarrassed, Lisbeth didn't dislike this kind of affection from Shido.
After the two of them drove off from her school for their date, they went shopping first, since Shido knew how girls often liked to look around various shops even when they didn't intend to buy anything.
And just like any other girl, Lisbeth was the same, she took her time browsing and trying on different clothes and accessories.
Afterwards, the two of them wandered around, visiting the kinds of places couples usually go to, before finally deciding to have dinner at a five-star restaurant. Shido owned the place, so he reserved the entire restaurant for the night, allowing the two of them to enjoy a quiet, romantic dinner together with no one else around.
The next part of their date led them to what they were doing now, sightseeing at Tokyo Tower.
Even though Lisbeth had lived in Tokyo her whole life, she had never gotten the chance to visit it until today, with Shido by her side. It was the same for Shido as well. In his case, however, it wasn't for lack of opportunity, he simply never had the time, nor much interest, in going sightseeing at Tokyo Tower before now.
Yet now that he was taking Lisbeth on a date, of course he planned to give her the best experience possible, there was no way he would fail, especially since Shido was a dating master back in Date A Live.
Fortunately, Lisbeth seemed to enjoy everything very much, her eyes sparkling with delight and curiosity.
"Still, I didn't expect you to actually be that newly rising business genius who's often featured on television."
Hearing her words, Shido simply smiled and said, "What? Are you surprised?"
Seeing how nonchalant he was about the topic, Lisbeth wondered whether it was because he was rich that he could stay so calm, or if Shido was just naturally this easygoing. Either way, she didn't hate it, if anything, Lisbeth found it cute that he also had this laid-back side to him.
"A bit, but it doesn't really matter. No matter what, I fell love Shido who is Setsuna, not the Shido who's known as some business genius." Lisbeth said this with a serious expression, a hint of fear in her voice, worried that Shido might think differently of her now that she knew his true identity.
However, after hearing her reply, Shido simply gazed at her, which made Lisbeth blush and grow a little nervous under his stare.
"I'm glad you think that way. But really, you just need to treat me the same way you do in the game."
"Hmm…"
Lisbeth nodded softly at his words, feeling her worries ease. When Shido gently brushed his hand over her hair, she relaxed even more, a warm sense of contentment washing over her.
Earlier, Shido had told Lisbeth about his other identity, the business prodigy and owner of the Flugel Conglomerate. He wasn't exactly hiding it, and he felt it was better to tell her sooner rather than later. At first, Lisbeth was stunned and incredibly surprised, but when she recalled that the name of the business prodigy matched Shido's, and that he did look strangely familiar, she eventually believed him.
Still, her feelings for Shido didn't change just because she discovered who he really was. She fell in love with him in ALO without knowing anything about his real identity, and that wasn't going to change.
"Lisbeth?"
Shido noticed that she had gone quiet and gently called her name. Lisbeth twitched slightly, as if nervous, but she still turned her blushing face toward him and looked at him with a soft, dreamy expression.
Seeing that expression on her lovely face, Shido understood what Lisbeth wanted. Gently, she closed her eyes, as if waiting for something. Having experienced this many times before, Shido knew exactly what to do. He moved closer, placing one hand on Lisbeth's waist and the other gently cupping her cheek.
Feeling his warm touch, Lisbeth's body shivered with a mix of nervousness and anticipation. She felt so flustered she could have died from embarrassment. Inside her mind, she was silently screaming at how shameless and bold she was being, but she didn't move away.
Noticing the nervous excitement on her face, Shido was quite amused but he didn't hesitate. With his hand still on her cheek, he leaned in closer, until his lips met her soft, sweet lips in a gentle, tender kiss.
"Mnn~"
Lisbeth let out a soft moan, feeling the warmth and gentleness of Shido's kiss. It wasn't her first kiss, after all the two of them had kissed each other in ALO, but this was her first kiss in real life. She had to admit that it felt better than in the game and she was glad to give it with Shido, her first boyfriend.
'Shido… I love you…'
As she said that in her mind,
Lisbeth wrapped her arms around Shido's neck. Their kiss grew more passionate, tinged with a hint of intensity, as Shido gently explored her mouth with his tongue, which startled her at first.
However, Lisbeth didn't pull away. Instead, she responded evenly to his advances and let Shido guide her and teach her the pleasure of kissing.
Just as the two of them were kissing, a bright light erupted outside, shooting up like a meteor before bursting high in the night sky, painting a breathtaking display that captivated everyone below and those at Tokyo Tower.
It was the start of a fireworks show.
A series of colorful explosions followed, illuminating the sky in dazzling patterns. Yet, Shido and Lisbeth barely noticed, completely absorbed in their own romantic moment. Fortunately, there weren't many people at the tower, and most were distracted by the fireworks, so no one paid attention to the couple.
After a few minutes, Lisbeth could no longer hold back. She gently parted her lips from Shido's, gasping for breath, her face flushed with warmth. Still, she didn't let go, keeping her arms wrapped tightly around him.
Gasp Gasp
"Are you okay?"
Shido asked Lisbeth with concern, but Lisbeth rolled her eyes at the boy as he was the cause of her breathing hard. However, she didn't say that and shook her head. "I'm alright… I just got a little short of breath."
Hearing her words, Shido nodded, realizing he might have kissed her a bit too hard. "I see."
Feeling slightly awkward and apologetic, Shido gently patted her back while sending a bit of his energy to help her recover. Lisbeth's breathing soon returned to normal, though her cheeks remained faintly flushed.
Shido knew she was fine now, her breathing having returned to normal, when Lisbeth suddenly said something that caught him off guard.
"Shido…"
"What's the matter, Lisbeth?" Shido asked curiously, noticing her slightly unusual behavior.
"I told my parents that I'd be staying at Silica's place tonight, so…"
Hearing her words, Shido immediately understood what she meant. Of course, unlike some herbivore protagonists, he wouldn't reject such an offer. Still, he couldn't help but feel a bit amused that Lisbeth had used Silica as an excuse.