Work Text:
“Hiyah!”.
“Watch it!”.
“You should guard yourself better, old man”.
“I’m guarding myself mine, Mizuki. You just shouldn’t be hitting people like that”.
Why not?
That’s what Mizuki wanted to say. But she was aware of her strength, her power as they usually called it. It was awesome, like being a superhero. Her. Mizuki Okiura. At the same time, as Date had warned her repeatedly, she needed to be careful with it.
Date’s a grown man. He should be able to take it.
No, that wasn’t true. Not the part where Date’s a grown man. Despite how he acts, that was true. But it didn’t justify going all out. In fact, she had been holding back.
Not enough, apparently.
Date then tried to trip her, a move that she stopped.
“Really?”.
“A wise man knows when to take a less honourable path”.
Not the master voice. Not again.
“We’re not doing your stupid training, Date. You don’t need to pull out that voice. It sounds even worse with your new body”.
“It’s my old body. Literally”. Date grumbled some things to himself, or maybe to Aiba. Dealing with The Change was still bothering him. That made sense. Mizuki had never swapped bodies, but she expected that adjusting to a new, sort of, body wouldn’t be easy.
Getting used to Date not looking like a shoujo character isn’t easy for me.
No, that wasn’t on the same level.
“You admitted it, finally, old man”.
“I’m not”. Date grinned. “More like finely matured. In a way that needs occasional care because of its value”.
“Whatever you say”.
“I do say. Because it’s right”. Date pouted pathetically, making Mizuki snigger.
I wonder if he does that on purpose sometimes, act that way just to make me laugh.
Mizuki doubted he was that good of an actor. As she pondered that, still exchanging blows with Date, he then asked a question.
“I know that I was channelling my mentor spirit, as your wise master, but why are we fighting?”.
“Because we’re training?”.
“In the middle of my apartment? I’d never do that”.
Yeah, that’s where they were, and Date had a point.
“Then why were we doing this?”.
Mizuki was perplexed and, judging from his expression, so was Date.
There has to have been a reason.
Then her phone started ringing.
“Gimme a moment. Oh, Aiba”.
It was a video call, something Aiba had been doing since her existence was revealed as a way to join conversations without popping out of Date’s eye socket.
I think she likes showing off that form as well.
Knowing a woman who looked like an alien or a fantasy creature out of a light novel and who only existed in video call form was an extra layer to knowing about Aiba. But Mizuki had gotten used to it. Mostly.
“I know the reason why you two were fighting”, Aiba declared. “Date was messing with Adorabbit again”.
“I was not”, Date retorted. “I was just figuring out how to clean and repair it”.
“You’re lying”. Mizuki was sure of that. Mostly. He was probably doing something stupid. That would damage Adorabbit. Probably. Or he was actually doing what he claimed he was. “You’re probably lying”.
“Probably?”. Date had a smug grin plastered on his face. “You sounded so certain a moment ago. Folding already?”.
“Date, don’t tease Mizuki when this might end decently for once”, Aiba said in an exasperated tone. Mizuki could sympathise with her. Date was really annoying. Just Date. Okay, maybe she was acting up too. A little.
“I’m not. But, if you are actually doing what you say you are, which I’m not agreeing to, then I want to make sure that you’re handling Adorabbit properly”. There, that was smooth. Mizuki patted herself on the back, then continued. “First…”.
“I’m smelling something that you should pay attention to”.
Date frowned and flatly replied. “How? You can’t smell anything. I have a working memory”.
“While that could be debatable, I’m getting readings from Mizuki’s phone”.
“How come it can detect smells and you can’t?”.
“Your cooking is starting to burn”.
Oh yeah, Date had been doing that, hadn’t he?
“Shit!”.
He ran over to the cooker, while Mizuki hit herself for that. She’d nearly ruined dinner. She’d really nearly did that, distracting Date for a possibly stupid reason.
“Sorry, Date”.
“Not your fault”.
That felt much better than it probably should. Having an adult tell her that.
“Thanks”.
Date didn’t turn away from his comical effort to save what he’d been making, but she did hear the confused “Huh?” that left his lips.
“Never mind”.
“Seriously, why is Mizuki’s phone better at detecting smells than you are?”.
They were both sat by Date’s coffee table, both eating a meal together. Getting used to that still was taking effort from Mizuki.
I didn’t get to do this often with my actual parents and Date works a lot himself.
Plus, he seemed to be trying even harder at being a dad or something approximating that in Date form.
I guess I can appreciate the effort. It’s actually kind of nice. But also strange.
It did help that Aiba could join in meal time through the use of a propped up phone on the table. She was good at avoiding those awkward silences that used to happen pretty often. Mizuki was really glad to have in her in their, for lack of another word, family.
“Do you want an eyeball with a sense of smell, Date? Do you want to smell things from your eye?”.
“Uh, no. That would be weird”.
“Exactly”, Aiba replied, clearly confident that she’d made her point. However…
“But a sense of smell is really important. You’re missing out on a lot”. Date then, with more affection in his voice than Mizuki felt should ever be used to the following, said “I can live with a nose that smells if it means you get to have that”.
“I don’t want to stink, Date”.
That made Date glower. “I’m trying to….”.
“Fall for my joke?”.
“Uhhh…”.
“I know what you meant”. Aiba’s displayed form smiled warmly. “Thank you, Date”.
It was sweet for Mizuki, watching their bond. Also weird, But mainly sweet. So was the feeling she was getting from eating Date’s food. Fortunately not because he’d accidentally made it too sweet, but because she could taste the improvements from the cooking lessons he’d been taking with Miss Sagan. Thinking about both their rapidly growing relationship and the effort Date was putting into being caring and stuff, that was great.
I want to be annoyed at you making me respect you more, Date. God, that’s stupid.
She was an actual tsundere. Why? That was something Mizuki was tempted to yell to the heavens right now. But not around Date. He’d be so smug about her admitting he was right.
I’m not sure when he implied that both me and Aiba were tsunderes.
The same went for the feeling that she’d gone through an experience where she’d seen into Date’s mind and learned more about his struggles to look after her. Yes, that dream or whatever it was had resonated with Mizuki and made her want to be a bit nicer to Date, but it had felt so real.
What matters right now is proving absolutely that I’m not an tsundere.
She took a large mouthful of food from her plate with her fork and tried to eat it in a satisfied and grateful manner, like in one of those commercials where they have a person show how much they’re enjoying the product a viewer should really buy.
“Hmmm. That’s soooo goood”.
“Are you okay?”. Date was looking at her like she’d started drooling on the floor or something similarly bizarre.
I caught you practising Iris’s dance, Date. Don’t you judge me.
“I’m just reeealy enjoying this meal, Date”. She then rubbed her stomach. “Yum. So yummy”.
“What are you doing?”.
Wasn’t it obvious? He had to get what she was doing. She felt obliged to spell it out, angrily.
“I’m being nice about your cooking, idiot! You’re such a dumbass”.
Date actually let out a sigh of relief. What the hell?
“Date, Mizuki’s trying to be earnest with you”. Aiba frowned as she said that, getting Date to at least look like he was aware of how he’d affected Mizuki with his response.
I’m not good at this basic stuff, especially with you. It’s hard.
“I get that now”, Date replied.
Only now? Mizuki, feeling embarrassed, looked down at the floor. Stupid Date.
There was suddenly something on her shoulder. Date’s hand.
Huh?
“Sorry. I really need to work on our communication. Aiba tells me that all the time”.
From the table, she could hear Aiba respond. “I do, because you need me to keep telling you, Date”.
His short laugh in response was something Mizuki could feel. She’d been feeling a bit tense because of her irritation, but her amusement made that fade away instantly. Moments like this, while not what she would have connected with her ideal of what family was in the past, but maybe it did now. The two adults in her life, who looked after her, being able to talk like that to each other without the animosity or frustration that would make Mizuki feel worry and guilt.
“Is it okay if I hug you?”.
Mizuki looked at Date properly. “Uhh…”.
It wasn’t like she hadn’t ever gotten that question before, though she wasn’t sure if she’d ever gotten it from Date. Maybe she had. She’d have to think about it, at some other time. Now, what was she going to do?
Be honest. Not tsundere. Don’t be tsundere.
Right. “Yeah. Should I stand up?”.
“No, I’ve got this. I’ll just kneel down”.
“It’s going to be awkward, Date”.
“Still going to do it. Don’t let my yummy cooking get cold while I’m hugging you, Mizuki”.
As he kneeled down and embraced her, Mizuki said “Can we forget that I ever said that word?”.
“No promises”.
The hug was how she’d expected, given that she was still in her chair. But it was nice. Really nice. Just like his cooking, Date was better at it than she’d generally like to admit. She should work on that. Maybe with help from Iris and Ota, so that I can be more open in a less embarrassing way.
She then recalled some of the dialogue she’d had to edit for Ota in the past. As his friend, she had to admit that it, well, wasn’t that great.
He can provide feedback.