Two days later, after a much needed 'grocery day', both Liohime and Shihon decided to take a stroll around the busier side of Polar Town.
As the latter accompanied her Master in her human form, she kept her special hooded clothing that hid her pointy ears and her two horns. Still, she was not worried about exposure to the bystanders and passers-by as the couple walked, but more so by her inability to bring up her concerns about what she had found out from Liohime's phone two days prior.
I haven't been able to bring up my concern about him going to the Paradisus Legion for two whole fucking days, damn it, she lamented. What would he think when he finds out I've been snooping and finding out private information from his phone behind his back? He'll surely find it hard to trust me….ugh, but I'm so worried about him!!
She now stuck even closer to her partner and held onto his arm tightly as they strutted forward. Furrowing her brows, she displayed a clear expression of sadness, and Liohime was quick to notice.
We did a lot of things together today, and somehow, she's still unhappy, he thought. That's new. I thought that she was enjoying the day so far, but it looks like she's bothered about something.
As an owner of a Magical Beast, he had full responsibility of keeping their relationship stable, and no matter what, he had to do everything in his power to ensure that things were all right between them. Therefore…
His body leaned towards hers, keeping the distance between them at zero, and spoke up.
"Everything alright, Shihon? You look a bit down."
"Huh? Oh, it's nothing, really."
"Well, if you ever need to talk about something, just let me know. We're partners, right?"
Her eyes widened on hearing that statement, and she immediately averted her eyes, wrinkling her face even more.
"Y-Yeah."
Her mood got worse.
…I don't understand women.
Me neither.
Shihon then tried to muster up the courage to say something, but-
"Oh, look,the state fair is finally open!" was the interjecting voice of Liohime, pointing over to a humongous complex to their right with a large sign at the entrance gate titled, "Grand Opening! Polar Town Fair!"
Shihon turned to face the area that he had motioned too, and her breath was immediately taken away.
Rollercoaster rides, bumper cars, a large stage for an auto show, food stalls, and other grand attractions as far as the eye could see were on display.
Shihon could only look on in amazement as Liohime continued, "It's about time that they finished the construction of this place. So, what do you say we have a bit of fun before we head home- uh, Shihon?"
He tilted his head as the dark-skinned woman walked over to view the smaller words listing the games and attractions below the main title, and then he held his chin up, monitoring her while she returned to his side.
"It's getting pretty late, but…we can try the Laser Tag arena," she replied.
"Oh…"
"What?"
"No, it's just…it never struck me that you'd be interested in Laser Tag. Let's do it."
And in a sense, he was right to doubt her being interested in it, as she had only decided to enter the fair when pondering about this specific option out of the list.
--Shihon would participate to train herself.
***
The Laser Tag section boasted a dimly lit indoor field of one acre, littered with foam pillars and various custom props, base station beacons containing extra ammunition, miniature AI warbots that patrolled the area, and elemental spotlight effects.
Liohime immediately was caught aback by the grandeur of the arena as he and his partner entered into the spectator room and caught a glimpse of the cameras that showcased a current match that was nearing its conclusion with the last two participants.
"Shihon, are you sure…?"
"A bit less sure now. Can you please accompany me?"
Actually, she was not planning to enter in the next match at all unless Liohime joined her, but she still decided to ask him instead of tagging him along by force.
Liohime pursed his lips and shrugged.
"Eh, one game won't hurt."
Despite initially planning to observe his partner and cheer for her from the sidelines, he decided to join her and view the game as extra training for him.
Let's not take it too seriously, though, he thought while letting off a shy smirk. I'll have fun with this. Although, I'm not sure Shihon is sharing the same mentality…
He took a peek at her through the corner of his eyes, noting her unchanging solemn expression.
Let's just hope that by the end of this, she'll have a big smile on her face like always.
Suddenly, the door that led to the arena opened, and the participants from the previous matches flocked out one by one.
Within that group was a young woman with pink hair and a beautiful physique, and despite being without her usual glasses, she was instantly recognized by the pair who shared the same exact words:
"You gotta be fucking kidding me."
She noticed Liohime from afar and her eyes lit up in surprise before she dashed towards him and leaned forward with delight.
"Holy shit! What are you doing here, Lita!?"
"U-Uh…I could ask the same about you, Tisha."
--Tisha Marsey, Liohime's neighbor and ex, had been playing Laser Tag, and coincidentally bumped into him after her match.
His heart had stopped as soon as he saw her, and despite him forcing a smile, the uncomfortableness within was not pleasing.
Especially since his own Magical Beast who was in her human form was right next to somebody who knew about her beast form.
Apparently, though, Tisha kept her eyes only on him as she continued to chat away.
"First the park and now this, Lita…are you by chance…?"
"Woah now, I'm not following you around or anythi-"
"Ahahaha!! I'm only joking, big guy."
"-hk."
Quickly catching onto the inside joke that was usually shared between them in their previous relationship, he stiffened up, but Tisha continued without a hint of nervousness displayed on her face, keeping her innocent smile plastered.
"It's great to see you again!"
"Yeah…you too, Tisha."
"Ah, you must be wondering where Michi is, but you can relax. He's currently at my Magical Beast sitter's house right now, so you don't have to worry about him bullying you."
"That's great to hear." He breathed a sigh of relief, and Tisha giggled.
"So, Laser Tag, huh? Are you up for a game? In that case, I might go agai-"
"You're in Liohime's shadow."
The bold, deathly interjection finally came, and Tisha, hearing this unfamiliar female voice for the first time, turned to her left, facing the disgusted expression of the young woman with glimmering green hair, overshadowed by her hooded clothing.
"H…uh?" Tisha's voice leaked out.
"I said that you're in Liohime's shadow," she repeated coldly, with her eyes trained to Tisha's shoes which had stepped into the shadow of Liohime. "Please don't remain so close to him and step back."
"....Who are you?"